Snøhetta adds "positive energy building" to Dunkirk port

A faceted roof encircles a central courtyard at Écosystème D, an energy hub and engineering workspace in Dunkirk designed by architecture studios Snøhetta and Santer Vanhoof.

According to Snøhetta and Santer Vanhoof, the 1,200 square metres of photovoltaic panels that top the angular roof produce more energy than the building consumes. The surplus energy is distributed to the surrounding port development, which is currently being transformed into an innovation hub.

Made from a wooden structure clad in metal panels, Écosystème D contains a technology hall, an incubator, a training centre, a showroom and workspaces.

It was designed to facilitate research and training in renewable energy through collaborations with industrial and institutional partners, including engineering schools and companies committed to decarbonisation.

"Rooted in the port landscape of Dunkirk, Écosystème D is a positive energy building designed to serve as a catalyst for energy transition," said Snøhetta.

"The entire structure is part of a low-impact, bioclimatic architecture that embodies innovation."

Designed to minimise energy needs, the building was arranged around a central planted courtyard that lets light and natural ventilation in.

A wide staircase with stepped seats rises around the courtyard, connecting the training centre, workspaces, labs, and administrative spaces.

The shape of Écosystème D was designed around the prevailing winds of the port location, with an angular roof that rises and falls between nine and 18 metres tall depending on the needs of the interior space below.

Overhanging roofs help shade the interior, and the building's envelope was designed to have a high thermal performance, including its triple-glazed windows, insulation and joinery.

Other projects recently completed by Snøhetta include a theatre in Australia cloaked in an undulated glass facade and a theatre in France that was renovated to have a tilted glass hall.

The photography is by Nicolas Fussler.

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