Veolia's twenty-first-century treatment plant: Reconciling urban ecology and lifestyle

Urban Ecology

Built for the energy-efficient treatment of sludge from eleven wastewater treatment plants in this region with 7.2 million inhabitants, the plant is entirely autonomous in water and energy. Sludge weight will be reduced by 90% through incineration and residues will be buried in landfills, whereas today all sludge goes to landfills. The plant's installed capacity makes it the largest wastewater sludge incineration unit in the world.  600 m3 of drinking water is produced every day by a seawater desalination plant on the site. This water is used by the ecological complex for its operational requirements.

A wastewater recycling circuit avoids discharging effluents into the sea.
Sludge treatment produces over 14 MW of electricity which is more than the site needs to operate. The excess electricity generated is therefore distributed on the public network.

Art of Living

Veolia asked the French architecture firm, Claude Vasconi to propose a highly innovative architectural concept for the seven-hectare complex.
Inspired by the local landscape, the building, situated between waves and hills, blends in with the environment.  
Ecological gardens dedicated to local biodiversity will be open to the public. It will be integrated into a complex that includes a discovery gallery about the plant, a cafeteria with a view of the sea, a heated swimming pool, a conference room and an observation platform under the roof of the building to admire the view of Deep Bay and Shenzhen.

Benefits for our client

• Preservation of quality of life
• Control of the overall environmental footprint
• Engineering and building treatment plants
• Desalination and water production
• Wastewater recycling
• Energy recovery from sludge