In order to meet the increasing demand for energy, E.ON, one of the largest energy producers in the E.U., is planning to develop and build several new power stations in Europe.
To ensure a clear and open dialogue and on-going communications with all stakeholders interested in the new power plants, E.ON will be opening visitor centres in the vicinity of the new plants.
kubik Amsterdam, known for providing exceptionally creative concepts and on-point designs, was selected by E.ON to design and develop the concepts for these visitor centres.
The key starting point for kubik was to ensure their designs would focus on engaging local communities and encourage open and positive dialogue to help address any concerns and questions stakeholders might have about new power plants, local energy generation and personal power consumption.
At E.ON, we believe that it is critically important to inform all of our stakeholders about the power station parks in an open and inviting environment, said Andres Brandtner, head of corporate communications at E.ON Kraftwerke. We feel the best way to do this is by creating a local meeting place where people can gather, talk, ask questions and get more information about power generation, the environment, and E.ON.
In order to create a welcoming atmosphere, kubik proposed a flexible design approach featuring modular prefabricated units. This enables each community to create a visitor centre that best suits their needs while giving E.ON units that can be re-used and tailored for each local community.
At kubik, we developed a special story line for the visitors of the information centres built around the theme. Energy is all around us’, said Hajo Reinders, Managing Director of kubik Amsterdam. Developing creative concepts to communicate the complicated but fascinating story about energy production was a great challenge for our team. Together with our partners Pilgrims (communication consultants) and Northern Light (interactive exhibits) we came up with a format that is suitable for several new power plants in several different countries and, most importantly, will encourage all stakeholders to visit and engage in an open dialogue with E.ON.
The visitor centres feature several tailor-made interactive displays that will help explain the technical aspects of the new power plants while informing visitors about the environmental aspects of power generation, power consumption – such as calculating their own carbon footprint – the options and implications of different energy mix scenarios (solar, wind, gas, coal, etc.) and how and where the power plant fits in the world of energy supply.
Working with E.ON is a great opportunity for kubik to use all our design skills and operational expertise, said Reinders. We designed the visitor centres not only explore the role of energy in our daily lives, but to promote information sharing – whether it is answering questions on different energy sources, the new power plant, energy conservation or helping E.ON get feedback on local concerns and issues.
We anticipate that the E.ON Visitor Centres will promote dialogue and understanding between the different stakeholders and become a valuable communication platform for all parties involved, said Brandtner. Moreover, it is the result of a fruitful cooperation between E.ON Kraftwerke, E.ON Benelux, E.ON UK and kubik, who created very smartly designed centres. We are eagerly awaiting the opening of the first one in Datteln, Germany in the first week of July.