Nanning Shuangding Waste-to-energy Power Plant

  • Prize
    Winner in Architectural Design - Industrial
  • Company/Firm
    United Units Architects
  • Lead Designer
    Yongzheng Li, Qizhi Li
  • Design Team
    Wenbo He, Falu Wang, Yanfeng Lyu, Bing Zhao, Liang Deng, Xinghua Ma, Yihao Zhang, Hongbo Fang
  • Architect
    United Units Architects
  • Photographer Credit
    Archi-translator
  • Location
    Nanning, Guangxi, China
  • Client
    Nanning Jianning & SUS Environment
  • Project Date
    08/2022
  • Project Link

Backed by undulating karst mountains, Nanning Shuangding Waste-to-Energy Power Plant draws its design language from the natural context. To the north of the site there is a bare plateau flattened by the mining of a cement factory. In order to respond to the nature and memory of the site, the facade of the building is featured by a pattern of undulating mountain range to visually remedy the damage to the mountains by human impacts, evoking the self-examination of human activities.

The pattern of the mountain range is derived from the combination of four sets of trigonometric function curves. The mathematic control not only ensures the smoothness of the curve, but also provides parameters for design development. By manipulating the colour, texture and form of the facade, the building is endowed with a dynamic aesthetic that changes with the viewing angle, light, and weather in an imperceptible and sophisticated way, reducing the impact of the building's vast volume on the environment.

In addition, this new factory also focuses on the integration of visiting and exhibition functions, thus redefining the perceived boundary between private industrial space and the public space.