“Juliane Wolf, who has led the Studio Gang team working on the project, says it was ‘such an interesting brief, a transformation from a coal-burning to a calorie-burning facility.’ The architects found themselves facing a structure with an ‘incredibly strong steel armature — it looked to us like a giant jungle gym.’ The turbines and boilers were gone, but a few reminders of the building’s long service were left as mementos — control panels with a decidedly retro look, coal pulverizers, giant intake pipes for river water, and a pair of coal hoppers suspended from the upper level that are ‘big enough to have programming.'”
“Beloit College has unveiled designs for converting a century-old power plant on the Rock River into a recreation center with sustainable features by celebrated architectural firm Studio Gang. The design is meant to retain the industrial character of the decommissioned coal-fired electrical plant while showcasing reduced energy features—and human energy.”
The WAFX Awards recognize future projects that identify key ecological and societal challenges that architects are actively seeking to address over the next ten years.