Big Vortex by Realities:United

BIG and  Realities:United, a German creative group won a competition back in 2011 for the design of a waste-to-energy plant in Copenhagen.  Realities:United modified the smokestack with an installation named BIG VORTEX, intending to make people aware of “What does a ton of CO2 look like?”

The gas emitted by the plant will leave the smokestack as revolving gas clouds in the shape of smoke rings (toroidal vortex shape), which become visible due to the condensation of water in the flue gases as they slowly rise and cool, before slowly resolving into the air. Each smoke ring, approximately 30 meters in diameter and 3 meter in height, constitutes exactly one
ton of fossil carbon dioxide, which is added to the atmosphere. This way the rather abstract pollution
aspect, gets somewhat more graspable and understandable, something you can see and relate to.

Check the amazing video on Realities:United website and surf their website for more information on this amazing project.

Photo ©2000 by Jürg Alean