Faculty of Design

Environmental Design - Interior Design Specialization

Yunyi Li

THERMOLOOP

By 2050, all light-duty vehicles in canada are expected to be electric, making traditional gas stations obsolete. Rather than leaving these sites abandoned, this project reimagines them as community energy hubs. These transformed stations will collect waste heat, use lake water for cooling, and generate clean electricity. Working alongside ThermoPod (spaceships) and heat towers, they will form a local, sustainable energy network. What once fueled cars will now power communities.--- This map illustrates the spatial relationship between gas stations, factories, and residential areas in Toronto. Factories are mainly located on the outskirts of the city and are generally far from residential zones. In contrast, gas stations are closely integrated within residential areas. By capturing waste heat from nearby factory zones, these centrally located gas stations can serve as energy hubs that deliver sustainable power directly to major residential communities.------- This diagram shows the distribution of gas stations, factory zones, residential areas, and commercial districts in downtown Toronto. Most commercial areas overlap with the locations of existing gas stations, while residential neighborhoods are evenly spread out on both sides of these stations. This layout extends the potential coverage and service radius of each gas station, giving them a strong location advantage once repurposed as energy hubs. In contrast, factory zones are fewer in number and mostly located along the city's edges.