CITY AND ENERGY: URBAN CONCEPT FOR THE REGENERATION OF VILNIUS CHP PLANT 2 ENVIRONMENT
Urban metabolism broadly refers to the sum of material resource transformation and processes in cities, often measured through flows within an urban system. As a boundary metaphor, research paradigm, and methodological tool, urban metabolism has been employed in a variety of fields in diverse ways. Based on this theory, a broader relationship between social and energy flows is sought. The problem is explored by examining the Vilnius CHP Plant 2 and the surrounding post-industrial area.
CHP plant 2, which is the most powerful heat producer in Vilnius, is substantially owned by Vilnius municipality (owning 98 % of AB Vilniaus šilumos tinklai shares), and therefore controls the entire heat and hot water supply in Vilnius. It also buys thermal energy produced by all smaller heat producers, becoming a central point for heat and hot water in Vilnius.
The seven pillars of the urban metabolism shape the goals we should aim for when designing the cities of the future. They help us to make fully responsible choices and thus to anticipate their future prospects. These pillars are: materials in the economy are cycled at continious high value; energy is based on renewable sources; water is extracted at a sustainable rate and resource recovery is maximized; biodiversity ir structurally supported and enhanced; society and culture are preserved through social governance; heath and wellbeing of humans and other species is structurally supported; value is generated in measures beyond just financial.
The aim of the thesis is to demonstrate, based on the concept of urban metabolism, the importance of creating an educational and practical link between society and energy (and its objects), and to propose a spatial concept – a systemic approach – that allows the Vilnius CHP Plant 2 and the proposed development around it to share resources and energy in a collaborative way across sectors and property boundaries.
Type: mixed-use
Area: 2.5 km²
Year: 2024
Location: Vilnius, Lithuania
