My design proposal is based on the original structure of the House Mill, rebuilt as a small energy station. The energy station farms and collects aquatic plants from the lea river, such as duckweed. Through a series of processes, biofuel ethanol is produced. The remaining solid waste is dried to make feed and sold to city farms.
The project is designed for the Energy Strategies category of companies. It is an energy station that combines production, recreation and education.
In the design process I have preserved as much of the original structure of the building as possible and brought it back to life. A waterwheel has been retained, which is no longer used for energy production but for collection. While retaining a large number of load-bearing wooden columns, the back wall of the ground floor was pushed inwards, leaving a large area of the building elevated. This provides space and light for the aquatic plants to be farmed and collected as fuel for energy, and also provides space for an outdoor walkway for visits. From the outdoor walkway there is a clear view of the plant operations and the aquatic plant culture area. Another highlight of the proposal is the glass shaft from the first to the fourth floor. The vertical well connects the two factories and provides a quick access to the distillation and recycling process.