Cooling towers turned into theme parks, music venues and extreme sports centers

After Britain’s last coal-fired power station closed last week, the Twentieth Century Society has selected seven projects for Dezeen that demonstrate how the endangered cooling towers in these ‘cathedrals of industry’ can be reused.

Cooling towers were once a key feature of the UK’s energy infrastructure. But from a peak of 240, only 45 remain, and there are plans to demolish them all.

Architecture charity the Twentieth Century Society has launched a campaign to save some of the buildings, arguing that interesting uses could be found for the structures.

“Their enormous size makes them a clear attraction”

“You don’t have to look far to find imaginative examples of cooling towers that have been reused internationally,” Oli Marshall, campaigns director at the Twentieth Century Society, told Dezeen.

“Their enormous size makes them an obvious attraction for activities that require serious height – viewing platforms, extreme sports, carnival rides and the like,” he continued.

“Their large surfaces have also been used to dramatic gigantic effect as a 3D canvas for video projections at music festivals, while the cavernous interior spaces have unique acoustic qualities that lend themselves to experimental sonic and artistic installations.”

Around the world, cooling towers have found a wide variety of applications, from offices to amusement parks and observation towers.

“A favorite example is how Pirelli built their new headquarters in Milan around a preserved cooling tower, with walkways connecting the meeting rooms in the tower to the surrounding offices,” said Marshall.

“Mixing heritage with modernity – what a refreshingly bold corporate statement!”

“Enormous and unrecognized affection”

Despite these international examples of reuse, all British cooling towers appear to be going to waste.

The Twentieth Century Society believes there is “unrecognized affection” for the structures, some of which have become landmarks, and wants the government to recognize their significance.

“We believe that there is actually a tremendous and unrecognized affection for them among the general public, and a growing need to preserve and reuse some before they all disappear,” Marshall explains.

“The main obstacle to their reuse is that historic England and the government have so far refused to recognize their architectural value and historical significance by listing one,” he continued.

‘But surely a handful of these former industrial cathedrals should be preserved for future generations?’

Read on for seven examples of repurposed cooling towers selected by the Twentieth Century Society:

Wunderland Kalkar amusement park, Germany

This 1970s cooling tower of an unfinished nuclear power plant in Germany is the centerpiece of the family theme park Wunderland Kalkar, created by Dutch entrepreneur Hennie van der Most in 1991.

“A climbing wall is attached to the concave exterior surface – painted with a mountain range for added effect – and a telescopic amusement ride emerges theatrically from the tower.”

Soweto Towers Extreme Sports Centre, South Africa

“In the South African municipality of Soweto, a pair of 1951 cooling towers at the decommissioned Orland Power Station have been adorned with a giant painted community mural, and now provide a home for businesses catering to extreme sports enthusiasts.

“A narrow bridge between the two towers offers a unique 100-metre bungee jump, while in one of the towers you can free-fall into a safety net – said to be the highest in the world.”

Venezia Heritage Tower, Italy

“In Venice, its industrial heritage rivals Renaissance architectural masterpieces, with a 1938 cooling tower believed to be the oldest concrete building on the Porta di Venezia.

“In 2009 this was converted into a museum and viewing gallery, with panoramic views over the lagoon and the legendary ‘floating city’.”

Asiat Art Park, Belgium

“In Vilvoorde, on the outskirts of Brussels, an abandoned power station and military base were plagued by illegal raves for years. The enterprising local mayor, initially called to close down a rave, saw the potential for a cultural festival on the site.

“Since 2014, the Horst Festival has organized sonic and artistic installations in the cavernous interior spaces of the cooling towers.”

Inota Music Festival site, Hungary

The semi-abandoned location of the 1950s Inota Power Plant, near Budapest, has already been used as a dystopian filming location for the futuristic sequel Blade Runner 2049.

“In 2023, the Inota Music Festival was launched, with video projections on the three disused cooling towers providing a fitting science fiction backdrop for the experimental electronics.”

Winter Olympic ski jumping venue, China

“At the former Shougang Mill complex in Beijing, Arup is transforming the decommissioned steel mill into an arts and tourism park – said to be China’s first climate-positive project.

“Shougang’s quartet of cooling towers became a viral hit during the 2022 Winter Olympics and served as a striking, if surreal, backdrop for the ski jump competition.”

Pirelli headquarters, Italy

“Pirelli’s 14,000 square meter headquarters, designed in 2007 by architect Gregotti Associati, in Milan’s Bicocca district, is built around a preserved cooling tower from the industrial district that previously occupied the site.

“The full-height tower is dramatically enclosed within a glazed central hall, with a new structure within the tower following the curved profile and supporting four floors of meeting and reception areas, connected to the external offices by suspended walkways.”

The main image is by Giorgio Boato.