Client

Waste Management/Save That Stuff

Year

2016

Program

Industrial recycling facility

Status

Completed

Location

Charlestown, MA

Turning food waste into fuel

The second of its kind on the east coast, this facility converts food waste to a clean, renewable energy source. In a partnership between Save That Stuff and Waste Management, food waste is brought to this facility, processed into an engineered bio-slurry, which is in turn processed by anaerbic digesters on Deer Island in Boston Harbor into biogas, usable for power generation. Located in Charlestown, this building draws on Runcible Studios’ experience with prefabricated structures, and expands our experience into industrial building types and industrial workflows.

Here, our challenges included adapting this prefabricated structure to a tight site, with a very busy daily flow of trucks that couldn't be interrupted. Working with the both the landlord of the neighboring building, the client, and Save That Stuff next door, we found space for this building while also ensuring daily operations could continue for everyone onsite. The unique nature of the building's use required that we become familiar with the processes happening at the building, as well as the equipment needs. Industrial work is all about flow - of materials, processes, and equipment - and maximizing efficiency while also finding creative synergies across various processes. We want to understand not just the nuts and bolts of these processes, but the needs of the people working at various tasks and stages throughout the building, so we can find ways to make their work easier, more effective, and more comfortable.

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