Rethinking Post-Nuclear Landscapes: Typologies and Strategies for Transformation

The article "Reading nuclear landscapes: A global typological investigation of nuclear power plant sites" by TUM doctoral candidate Sophie von Einsiedel, recently published in the Journal of Landscape Architecture, explores global nuclear power plant sites and proposes new landscape-based approaches for their redevelopment.

Figure: Arrangement of the core unit(s) at Trillo NPP, Spain [A]; Rostov NPP, Russia [B]; Greifswald NPP, Germany [C]; and Ringhals NPP, Sweden [D]. Core unit(s) and security perimeter are highlighted in white. (© Sophie von Einsiedel)

The article also addresses the prevention of NPPs from becoming long-term brownfields and presents a global typological study of NPPs using aerial and online imagery, revealing their complex spatial configurations as a key challenge for redevelopment. The study questions conventional approaches that focus on reusing individual buildings and argues that a broader "landscape reading"—considering the wider spatial and environmental context—is essential for effective and adaptable post-nuclear transformation strategies.

Sophie von Einsiedel is currently a PhD candidate at the Chair of Landscape Architecture and Transformation supervised by Prof. Udo Weilacher and Anna M. Hersperger and is researching on strategies for repurposing decommissioned nuclear power plant (NPP) sites, using Germany as a case study.

The article was published in the Journal of Landscape Architecture, an academic Journal of the European Council of Landscape Architecture Schools (ECLAS), which is released three times a year.

Open Access: https://doi.org/10.1080/18626033.2024.2463196

◄ Zurück zu: Aktuelles

To top