Energy and WindBeyond the Monotony of a Productive LandscapeMario Bieri, Jérome Ammann, and Salome Roggensinger

The region where Germanys largest open lignite mines are situated is primarily defined by its flatness. The horizon is dotted with wind turbines and the occasional chimney of coal burning plants, visible from far away because of the lack of topography. A territory that seems to be made for energy production now has to undergo a fundamental change in the pursuit of a sustainable future.

The physical impacts of wind turbines on their surrounding environment are an obstacle for the needed expansion of wind energy. Their sheer size, as well as continuous movement and noise emissions are often a cause of contention that doom new wind power projects to fail. These impacts are subject to prejudices, which are often an expression of personal sentiment and do not necessarily correspond to objective reality. Nevertheless, the distance requirements wind parks need to adhere to because of these impacts are real, and they limit the potential areas where turbines can be built. This makes the planning process for wind farms complex, despite being privileged construction projects.

The most dominating landmark features of the Rheinland are the open pit mines, which were used to source lignite since the early 1900s until today. Large scale extraction projects like this do not pass by a territory without leaving scars, some of which are more visible than others. The wind park in the commune of Bedburg near the Garzweiler open pit mine is an example of new infrastructure that replaces the former source of energy on its erstwhile site.

Wind parks are always the result of the specific conditions that led to their construction, but that is not legible from their physical appearance, as they tend to look the same from a distance. Due to the limited number of manufacturers, there is no great diversity in types of models. Moreover, their arrangement adheres to the physical effect of wake, the weakening of the wind directly behind a turbine. The distinguishing factor that differentiates one wind park from another is therefore the planning process and the ownership structure behind it.

The impact of infrastructure on the landscape could be the key factor for an inclusive and sustainable integration of wind farms into the territory. If done well, the wind park could become a benefit for the community and the landscape, instead of being just accepted as a necessary evil. Using the lifecycles of wind turbines, we attempt to design the in-between of wind parks in order to lastingly transform the landscape from the industrialized production space that it is today into a habitable, human scale territory.