Menu
In June 2008, the Degrémont firm, a Suez Environment affiliate, as well as a global leader in terms of water treatment, launched an international consultation for the development of the world’s biggest drinking water production plant through reverse osmosis water desalination.
The Victorian Desalination Project is critical infrastructure for climate adaption and one of the largest such investments in Australia’s history. The 225 ha Ecological Reserve camouflages the Project through a 26000m² green roof and a dune system created from soil, it also transforms the degraded land into mosaics of coastal and swampy woodlands. Wetlands and dune ecologies reconnect the fabric of the land and ensure rich visitor experience.
The architects developed a “furtive” project concept called “The Green Line” that draws inspirations from land art artists, such as Michel Heizer. Their ambition was to overcome the frontier that lies between architecture and landscape. The project is based on a dual approach and aims to strike a balance between “integration/expression”. Earth is the project’s main material. A 2-kilometre-long green line, made up of 600,000 m3 of earth excavated from the sea bed during the drilling, from the trench dug for the pipeline between the site and the town, as well as from the holes dug for the buried structures. This “green line” imperceptibly transforms the landscape into a built environment.
Landscape architects from ASPECT Studio led the site plan to ensure an ecologically resilient landscape.
Client
State of Victoria, Australia
Industrial process: Suez Environment
Main Contractors
Architect: AIA Architectes
Landscaping: ASPECT Studios
Programme
Drinking water production plant, capacity: 350,000 m3 / day, natural reservation
Surface(s)
26,000 m², Site: 225 ha
Timeline
Competition winner 2009
Delivery 2013