What if we designed an energy grid without waste?
The energy transition is well underway, and Alliander works on it every day. Yet without a fundamental change in the way we deal with materials, a truly sustainable energy supply is impossible. The future requires not only an improved energy infrastructure, but also a transition in materials and design. Sustainable, after all, also means circular.
This is the challenge that marks the start of Co/Lab: Circular Energy Grid. Alliander has invited the designers to explore together how circular thinking and doing can become the new standard within the energy infrastructure of the future.
Lilian van Daal
For Lilian van Daal, the Co/Lab: Circular Energy Grid immediately resonated with her way of thinking. “The way Alliander framed the question really appealed to me: ‘What if we designed an energy grid without waste?’” she says. “In nature, there is no such thing as waste: every element forms part of a larger cycle, focused on efficiency, resilience and reuse.”
That principle lies at the heart of her design vision. “The idea of a transformer house that adapts, evolves and produces no waste fits perfectly with how I design,” she explains. “A major issue is that many neighbourhoods or municipalities are reluctant to place these houses because of their appearance. By applying biomimicry, they automatically become more aesthetic and better integrated into their surroundings.”
Although Van Daal had little prior experience with energy systems, she sees that as an opportunity. “The philosophy of biomimicry can be applied to everything, from small products to architectural buildings.” She previously applied this approach in GreenCarbonFactory, a modular plant that generates sustainable energy while enhancing biodiversity. “The design tells the story of the pyrolysis process and contributes to biodiversity.”
Within this Co/Lab, she looks forward to working with Alliander and the other designers. “I’m excited to dive deeper into the technical side and explore how I can create something surprising,” she says. “I hope a company like Alliander will come to recognise the value of biomimicry.”
For Van Daal, the power of design lies in its ability to translate complex issues into intelligent, meaningful solutions. “From nature, we learn how to create systems that are efficient, adaptive and regenerative,” she says. “That’s what I want my work to contribute to.”
“The way nature designs inspires me enormously; I find it fascinating to explore how natural structures, systems and principles work — and how we can translate them into human design.”
Simon Akkaya (npk design)
For Simon Akkaya of npk design, the Co/Lab: Circular Energy Grid offers an opportunity to highlight something we rarely notice. “What immediately attracted me to this Co/Lab is the chance to contribute to something that is so visible in our living environment, yet seldom receives attention,” he says. “The transformer house is technical, functional and often inconspicuous, but precisely in that lies the beauty of the challenge. I even believe you can grow fond of such objects.”
The project aligns perfectly with where npk design likes to operate: at the intersection of technology, design and social relevance. “Objects in public space are so everyday that we almost stop seeing them, but they tell a story about our connection with technology,” Akkaya explains. “As an industrial designer, I’m fascinated by how something created purely for function can gain emotional value, if only you give it meaning and attention.”
With experience designing elements that shape our living environment — from the PostNL letterbox to street furniture — npk brings expertise in scale, engineering and manufacturability. “We always start from the essence: how something works, why it exists, and how it can be improved,” says Akkaya.
Within the Co/Lab, he looks forward to working with Alliander and the other studios. “It’s special to have so many disciplines working together towards one shared ambition,” he says. “That interplay is what makes it truly valuable.”
For Akkaya, design power lies in connecting imagination with reality. “A good design changes the way you see things, gives hope, and makes the future tangible,” he says. “Design can change behaviour, create support, and accelerate transitions.”
“The transformer house is technical, functional and often inconspicuous, yet that’s where the beauty of the challenge lies. I even believe you can grow fond of such objects. They’re part of the city’s daily rhythm — almost like silent characters shaping its streetscape.”
Christopher de Vries (Rademacher de Vries Architects)
For Christopher de Vries of Rademacher de Vries Architects, taking part in the Co/Lab: Circular Energy Grid is about more than technology alone. “The energy transition requires not only technical solutions, but also new forms of understanding and connection with our environment,” he says.
The firm investigates how infrastructure shapes our surroundings, often invisible, yet essential. “We see the energy transition as an opportunity to reconnect technology with our way of life and identity,” says De Vries. “A small building such as a transformer house can become a link between complex energy systems and the everyday lives of residents.”
Our studio has a fascination with the systemic object, places where large, often invisible networks become tangible. “In earlier projects, our leitmotif was to make invisible systems visible,” he explains. “For example, in the viewing platform at the ENCI quarry or the circular bridge in Amsterdam.”
Within the Co/Lab, De Vries looks forward to collaborating with Alliander and the other designers. “We hope for a process where knowledge, policy and design reinforce one another,” he says. “We want to learn how the system works, and how the chain from light switch to wind turbine can take on spatial meaning.”
For De Vries, the power of design is its ability to make change imaginable. “Design makes ideas visible,” he says. “It helps people envision a future and work towards it together.”
“Design makes ideas visible. It helps people imagine a future — and work towards it together.”
The kick-off at DDW
The kick-off took place during Dutch Design Week (DDW) 2025 in Eindhoven. Designers Lilian van Daal, npk design and Rademacher de Vries Architects joined the Alliander team to explore the question: “What if we designed an energy grid without waste?” Their assignment: to design the adaptive transformer house of the future, or more precisely, the Medium Voltage Room (MSR).
Experts from Alliander shared insights into the network operator’s circularity mission, the functioning and modular design of the MSR, and the challenges of grid expansion in urban areas. ProRail presented their own approach to modular and circular construction as an inspiring example.
After a tour of DDW, the designers and the Alliander team worked together in a co-creation session to explore the first ideas for a circular and modular MSR.
With this kick-off, the foundation has been laid for an intensive collaboration in which technology and design come together to build an energy system without waste; circular by design.