A new waste-to-energy plant on the outskirts of Copenhagen will double as a recreational ski area. Design firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) won the design competition for client Amagerforbraending to create a waste-to-energy treatment plant on the crossroads between a residential neighborhood and an industrial zone. Another criteria for the building is to serve as a recreational area.
What BIG came up with is building that ties the two neighborhoods together with design and turns the rooftop and façade into a park area. “We want to turn it into a place in itself a destination where people will travel to,” said a statement on the BIG website. The structure is quite large, so required height lends itself to mountainous slopes. The façade is a mix of windows and planters that give the appearance of a mountainside. The shape of the building includes a peak surrounding the smokestack, and a large slope toward the other end. By pushing down one end of the building, the architectural firm created a structure that minimizes the overall volume and allows for the possibility of a public connection. That public connection is the ability to use the roof rather than leaving it as a large, empty expanse.
The ski area? It’s as if a section of a mountain were cut out and transported to this rooftop in Copenhagen. People will be able to use the slope year round on an artificial snow made from a recycled material. Access to the paths is through an elevator adjacent to the smokestack. The elevator is planned to have a glass wall facing the interior of the plant. Those taking a ride up to the slopes will get a view of the internal workings of the plant. The geometry of the roofscape supports three slopes of different gradients. This will serve skiers of different levels from novices to pros. In total, the rooftop will provide about 1,500 meters of ski runs, including a terrain park.
Those who expect the sustainable energy plant to be dirty may be surprised. This plant releases carbon dioxide, which will release a puff of smoke rings whenever one ton of fossil CO2 is released.
Design firm Bjarke Ingels Group
via [Inhabitat]
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