Henning Larsen to design the world's most efficient wastewater treatment plant
The architectural firm Henning Larsen has been selected by Aarhus Vand to design Aarhus Rewater, a cutting-edge wastewater treatment plant and urban landmark. Henning Larsen, along with team members Klinges Tegnestue, Topotek 1, and artist Eva Koch, will lead the project.
The plant, which will replace the existing Marselisborg facility in 2028, will be a state-of-the-art treatment center and stand as a stunning landmark on the Aarhus harbor front. In just a few years, the existing plant will no longer have the capacity to purify the wastewater from the rapidly increasing population of Aarhus. With little room available to expand the existing facility, Aarhus Rewater is to be built with a new location in the area.
We are very excited about the project, which we believe can express and shape possible solutions to some of our time's most pressing issues of community and urban planning in a sustainable world. Aarhus ReWater will be a recreational destination in the city, where locals and visitors can gather about the water and learn about its social value and great importance for our common future.
The selection was determined based largely on the strong strategy and vision for the development of the area in which the plant will be located. The agreement with Aarhus Vand means that Henning Larsen will prepare a master plan for the area, design the plant, make design manuals and incorporate the interaction between the plant, the city, the water and the surroundings. The architectural firm must ensure that the plant opens as far as possible to the surroundings and tells the story of water. And with a modular structure, the plant must be able to evolve in line with new needs - both in terms of technological development and capacity.
Upon completion, it is expected to be the world's most sustainable and innovative wastewater treatment plant, which, in addition to purifying wastewater, will produce surplus energy and utilize the resources in the wastewater to an extent not seen elsewhere. In the future, for example, it will be possible to produce nutrients, proteins, foods, chemicals and basic substances for the wastewater industry.
Signe Kongebro predicts that the facility will become as popular a destination in the city as the new Moesgaard Museum, which Henning Larsen also designed.
I am sure that Aarhus Rewater with a unique architecture and with its location close to the city and the sea will be a beautiful landmark for all that we can in Aarhus in the water area. It becomes much more than a technical plant. Our ambition is to become a place of excursion that forms a hinge between the city and the port, and where you can see the city from a different angle and gain insight into the world of water and in an industry that many find exciting.