Picknick Trafo

Not in my backyard

In the coming years, the Netherlands will need around 50,000 additional transformer houses of this kind to strengthen the electricity grid. The need is urgent: the grid is under strain, and expanding capacity is essential. At the same time, plans often encounter resistance from local residents, which slows down the process.

The energy transition is advancing rapidly and becoming increasingly visible above ground. Immense solar parks and wind turbines — as well as these transformer houses — are often perceived as “ugly” and provoke a classic “not in my backyard” reaction. Everyone wants a fossil-free future, but few welcome a wind turbine in their backyard or a medium-voltage station on their street.
The Picknick Trafo responds to this “NIMBY” sentiment by creating a space for dialogue, transforming resistance into an opportunity for conversation.

Make the visible energy infrastructure even more visible.

Conflicts surrounding transformer houses are often not about resistance to sustainability, but about aesthetics and communication. Apituley poses the question: “Can we redesign these functional objects to foster more understanding and conscious energy use?”
In 2022, she designed an electricity cabinet that visualises the live household energy consumption of a street. According to Apituley, better understanding what we use naturally leads to using less energy. “The same applies to the availability of energy from wind and sun,” she explains. “If we make this information more tangible within our living environments, it becomes much more intuitive to use energy flexibly. We can then integrate this awareness into our daily lives, our rituals, and our habits.”

Picknick Trafo x DDW : Charging station

Ever ran out of power while visiting the Dutch Design Week? For this special edition you can charge your phone inside the transformer house. Place your device and charger in one of the lockers, and go upstairs while your phone is charging!