Zhuoming Hu

Post-Petroleum Heritage Trail

The Post-petroleum Heritage Trail is a route from Aberdeen Railway Station to Rubislaw Quarry. First, I designed three representative support structures along this path: an exhibition center, a memory center, and a waste recycling center. The structures are designed to provide key functions and enhance community engagement with the trail’s heritage and environmental themes.

Next, I focused on the third structure - the waste recycling centre. This phase involves transforming the initial concept into a fully functional architecture, including extensive and in-depth research into materials, energy use and dirt management, ensuring that the structure not only fulfills its primary function of waste recycling, but is also a testament to sustainable building practices.

Waste Recycling Centre

The project adopts a novel approach to urban waste management that departs from the traditional “not in my backyard” attitude prevalent in urban environments. Traditionally, the main focus on waste has revolved around its disposal and removal from the daily environment, without a thorough understanding of its subsequent processes or impacts.

The proposed initiative integrates the Waste Recycling Center at Rubislaw Quarry, the last stop on the Post-petroleum Heritage  Trail, thereby promoting a deeper understanding and involvement of local residents in the fate of their waste. This integration aims to demystify the post-waste process and actively engage communities in the waste management process.

The recycling center is strategically designed to address three main aspects of municipal waste:

1. Fresh waste generated by the city: It will process daily waste generated by urban activities, converting it from pure waste into valuable resources or manageable disposable items.

2. Wasted space in the city: the project aims to repurpose rubislaw quarry, a derelict space in the city, and transform it into a functional space that contributes to the city’s sustainable development goals.

3. The city’s existing resources: Make more efficient use of the city’s existing resources, energy and waste, and promote a circular economy of material reuse and recycling, thereby reducing the city’s overall environmental footprint.