An Alternate Vision for Rossdale - Adaptive Re-use of Historic Powerhouses
ConCerv has argued strongly that the Rossdale site is an inappropriate site
for the generation of power. Generation of power in the river valley is
contrary to the bylaws of the City. In addition, the Rossdale site is at
the entrance to downtown, it is close to the legislature, it is the site of
the Proclamation of the Province in 1905, it is the site of the first
European settlement in the Edmonton area, and it has been the meeting place
for First Nations People for centuries.
ConCerv has argued that the architecturally significant Maxwell Dewar
Building should be adaptively re-used for some other purpose that is
compatible with cultural, recreational or residential purposes which are
allowable uses of the river valley. Progressive cities around the world
are realising the potential of such buildings and are finding alternative
uses that add much more to the cultural, social and economic fabric of
those cities than a power plant ever could.
ConCerv commissioned noted architects David Murray and Jeremy Sturgess along with noted town planner Lesley Beale to look at alternatives for the Rossdale site. They show some exciting possibilities which would have a far gretater economic, social, and cultural impact than a power plant expansion could ever have. The report is available in Adobe Acrobat format.
Some examples are:
- Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa
- Battersea Power Station
A Sunday Times acrticle describing how London developers have transformed an aging power station into the "the centre of a complex consisting mainly of offices, restaurants, bars and entertainment venues, notably the permanent London home of Cirque du Soleil, the spectacular Canadian animal-free circus."
The Battersea Power Station Community Group hosts information on the history, significance, and current use of the power station.
Much more information is available through any search engine, such as Google.
- Tate Modern
- Powerhouse Museum (Sydney, Australia)
- Brisbane Powerhouse
- Steam Plant Square (Spokane, Washington)
- Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
- Rooseum Center for Contemporary Art in Malma, Sweden (English text follows Swedish)
- The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery which is part of the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, Canada
- The Forks (Winnipeg, Canada) is an example of the visionary rehabilitation of a derelict waterfront area of downtown Winnipeg which had been warehouses and railway shunting yards in the last century
revision information
$Id: alternate.php,v 1.3 2004/01/18 23:30:46 tim Exp $
