Energy Recovery Facility in Ripley Road (2)

Bradford

An energy recovery facility involving the treatment of non-hazardous residual waste material through gasification. Designed by BioGen Power.

We also reviewed this scheme on 21 December 2009.

The changes to the proposal do not remove our concerns about the lack of aspiration for the design quality of this proposal. Waste management and the production of renewable energy are becoming increasingly important and we believe this should be reflected in the quality of the building. In addition, its dimension and location close to Bradford city centre and adjacent to a residential area and the Manchester-Bradford railway line make it a prominent building which needs to be addressed carefully. This proposal, however, neither shows any ambition nor the necessary thought for its context. It uses a design language which is more akin to an out-of-town retail shed; it has a bulky form and the detailing is crude. We feel that in this scheme, the resources are misdirected – a more interesting, ambitious design does not depend on higher costs. To achieve an elegant building which manages to convey a positive message on waste and renewable energy, we suggest a fundamental rethink of this proposal.