We are pleased to announce the final publication of the IABR-Atelier Jeux des Joules: Utility Hubs: Towards a New Urban Standard (Dutch). This marks the conclusion of Jeux des Joules, the IABR design research atelier focused on the socio-cultural and spatial challenges of the energy transition.
Download the publication (Dutch)
The energy transition requires a major overhaul of the Dutch electricity grid. This will involve the construction of large numbers of new utility hubs in the existing public space. Utility Hubs: Towards a New Urban Standard explores how these inevitable structures can be made more beautiful, smarter, and smaller, and how they can be better integrated into their surroundings.
Led by Atelier Master Peter Veenstra (LOLA Landscape Architects), the IABR-Atelier Jeux des Joules investigated new strategies, scales, and architectural expressions for these local energy nodes. This publication documents the design research carried out by Bright, Studio Chris Kabel, and OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen, and looks ahead to the next steps toward developing a new Dutch standard for transformer substations. All relevant stakeholders — municipalities, energy and substation suppliers, grid operators, and designers — were closely involved and contributed to the report. Collaboration, mutual understanding, and coordination are essential in tackling challenges of this complexity.
Experts in culture, transition thinking, and local participation also share their perspectives on how the energy transition plays out across different scales. In doing so, the research on utility hubs — a small but vital part of the much larger energy transition puzzle — is placed in a broader context: from hyperlocal and urban, to national and global.
We extend our thanks to the design partners Bright, Studio Chris Kabel, and OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen; to Atelier Master Peter Veenstra and Project Coordinator Lena de Rouw for their dedication and leadership; to the Urban Development Department of the Municipality of Rotterdam for its visionary approach to the brief; and to the municipalities of Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Delft for enthusiastically joining the process. Finally, we thank Alliander, Batenburg, Eneco, Siemens, Spijkerman, Stedin, and Vattenfall for their expertise and sharp analysis of the possibilities and preconditions for redesigning transformer substations.
