Project description by jury

The project proposes a solution to reduce the environmental impact of the Big Bend Station, a coal-burning facility of Tampa Bay with a long history of pollution and limited oversight. The design consists of a network of facilities able to capture and utilize the harmful waste of the power plant and phosphate mine as a means of agricultural production. Bioreactors, open pond farms and constructed wetlands surround the site to generate a new productive landscape. The new facilities enable the containment of harmful algae growth due to phosphate mine runoff and utilize its potential for agricultural products. The new reactors collect over 90% of CO2 produced by the station. They are structurally integral, requiring limited additional structure, and are covered with soil and grass to generate playful landforms. The system is embedded in an expansion of the neighboring wildlife reserve, creating a naturalized buffer and refuge for the local manatee. Issues related to air pollution and harmful waste disposal demand urgent solutions. CO2 emissions from coal-burning power plants and waste runoff from phosphate mines constitute a serious environmental threat worldwide.

Jury appraisal

The LafargeHolcim Awards jury North America recognized the impressive relevance of the project that adapts to the specific site context to propose a clever and potentially replicable solution to mitigate these two environmental problems. Appreciation was expressed for the author’s ability to orchestrate technology, architecture and landscape in an integrated and research-based urban strategy. The design not only serves to advocate for climate justice but also provides new green spaces to the community as well as a safer environment to the local aquatic fauna. The jury commended the design ambition to reconvert the area into an appealing landscape that blends nature and architecture in an industrial dimension.