Potemkin Ranch : blending industrial buildings into their surrounding environments is a good idea that may yet catch on

The oil and gas industry is attempting to blend into their surroundings in order to improve relations with landowners. This article presented details of a 7.5 million-cubic-feet-per-day gas facility disguised as a cattleman's ranch through the use of convincing facades. The compressor unit is disguised as a ranch house, while the dehydration unit looks like a carriage house. Electrical controls are housed in a separate bunkhouse. In 2001, a skid-mounted refrigeration unit was added and enclosed in a barn facade. The total cost over and above a typical metal-clad gas facility was approximately $100,000, almost 4 per cent of the total facility cost of $2.5 million. While some companies have been using colour to camouflage facilities for many years, other companies have placed more importance on noise suppression, which can add 10 to 20 per cent to the cost of each building. In order to improve noise control, some facilities are now being constructed in topographical low spots with insulated enclosures and hospital-grade mufflers. Pioneer Canada has recently camouflaged a gas facility to mimic a farm which was subsequently fitted with standard noise attenuation. The company's new standard of noise reduction has resulted in additional costs of up to $200,000 per site. Landowners have commented favourably on Pioneer Canada's camouflage efforts. It was concluded that as land access becomes an even bigger issue in some plays, operators may increasingly use architectural features to make their facilities less obtrusive. 5 figs