Futuristic and spectacular – the waste-to-energy power station in the CopenHill recreation area
Copenhagen // Denmark

Denmark is hardly a country you’d associate with mountains and ski resorts if it weren’t for CopenHill, an artificially created urban hill AKA “Copenhagen’s epicentre for urban alpinism.” And would you believe it, one of the largest power stations in Europe is hidden inside.

This project is perfectly in line with Copenhagen’s aim to become the first carbon-neutral city in the world by 2025. Certainly, this target is also bound to benefit structural sustainability and progress in terms of technology and architecture. It’s a project that’s expected to appeal to residents as much as to tourists.

The 41,000-sqm power station is known as Amager Bakke. It replaces a former plant that was 45 years old when it was demolished. The new waste incineration plant is located a few kilometres from central Copenhagen and was opened in 2017. It is one of the biggest plants in Europe and one of the leading power stations with regard to energy efficiency, throughput capacity and environmental footprint. The visionary construction is Copenhagen’s largest and highest building. Its 124-metre chimney stack can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. Due to the high share of heat generation via renewable fuels, the power-heat plant contributes significantly to sustainably reducing CO2 emissions in Copenhagen.

Amager Bakke’s sloping roof lends itself to a number of leisure sports. The iconic industrial building soon became an attraction for action sports, bouldering, snowboarding and skiing for all skill levels, so it is suitable both for beginners and free stylists. If you’re into sports, the place offers several astonishing new features such as Europe’s highest bouldering wall, a cross-fit training area, 490 metres of tree-lined running and hiking paths and a ski trail which can be used all year round thanks to specially manufactured plastic mats. In 9,000 sqm of skiing terrain, experts can explore a halfpipe, a free-style park or the slalom course. Several pistes down below are suited for beginners and children.

Obviously, the facility features a rooftop bar and a restaurant and an attractive picknic area with a view over the city and the Oresund strait between Denmark and Sweden. The greened 10,000-sqm roof contributes to biodiversity as it is home to numerous species and has a climate typical of a park at an altitude of 85 metres, absorbing heat and cleaning the air.
Star architects from the BIG Bjarke Ingels Group were in charge of the futuristic design and implementation of the facility. The grounds were planned by Danish landscape architects SLA.Meanwhile.

Awards: 2020 Design Educates Award, 2020 ArchDaily Building of the Year Award, 2019 Scandinavian Green Roof Award, 2015 P/A Progressive Architecture Awards Citation, 2012 AR MIPIM Future Projects Awards Special Award

__

Project: CopenHill/Amager Bakke
Location: Denmark
Architects: BIG Bjarke Ingels Group, SLA. Meanwhile
Photographers: Laurian Ghinitoiu, Rasmus Hjortshoj, Soren Aagaard, Aldo Amoretti, SLA