Waste warrior: Bjarke Ingels Group devise a new recycling plant for Copenhagen
Located in an industrial facility on the outskirts of Copenhagen, the Amager Resource Centre (ARC) has been providing recycled energy to its local community since 1970. The centre stands as a significant ecological landmark for Denmark, its energy output playing a crucial role in creating a sustainable environment for the eco-conscious country's future generations.
Last year alone the ARC processed the refuse of one million Danish citizens, and with the population of Copenhagen rapidly growing, there has been increasing demand for a more socially intelligent and ecologically considerate way to tackle the waste recycling process.
Enter the Amager Bakke – the newest addition to the ARC complex and part of the solution to this problem. It is set to open in 2017, and when it does, it is predicted to produce heat for 160,000 homes and electricity for 62,500 of them, aiding Copenhagen's ambitious goal to become a carbon neutral city by 2025.
Designed by the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the Bakke will also offer a playful, recreational twist. Standing 85m in height, the plant will become Copenhagen's tallest 'mountain', as its roof has been creatively designed as a ski slope for the use of the local community. The design also integrates a number of green areas, which residents can use for running, walking and hiking.
Merging seamlessly to its surrounding environment, the Bakke will act as a multi-functional social spot, opening up the area's industrial urban fabric to the public and allowing spectacular long views over the city and the nearby harbour. The BIG concept impressively includes added value for its local residents, helping to redefine the relationship between community and industrial space.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit BIG's website
Photography: Christoffer Regild
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Art, culture, watches & jewellery editor Hannah Silver’s gift guide
From a Beryl Cook cushion to an offbeat diamond ring, there's something for everyone on this Wallpaper* editor's gift guide, embracing art, culture and style
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Feldspar makes its mark on Mayfair with a festive pop-up at Corinthia Hotel
Devon-based bone china brand Feldspar makes its first foray into shopkeeping with a pop-up at London’s Corinthia Hotel. Ali Morris speaks with the founders and peeks inside
By Ali Morris Published
-
Dip into Wyld sauna: Liverpool's floating Finnish-style destination for lovers of extreme heat
Wyld sauna has opened in Liverpool, offering the perfect excuse to take a dive into the Nordic wellness tradition
By Emma O'Kelly Published
-
The Living Places experiment: how can architecture foster future wellbeing?
Research initiative Living Places Copenhagen tests ideas around internal comfort and sustainable architecture standards to push the envelope on how contemporary homes and cities can be designed with wellness at their heart
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Denmark’s BIG has shaped itself the ultimate studio on the quayside in Copenhagen
Bjarke Ingels’ studio BIG has practised what it preaches with a visually sophisticated, low-energy office with playful architectural touches
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024: meet the practices
In the Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2024, our latest guide to exciting, emerging practices from around the world, 20 young studios show off their projects and passion
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Meet Mast, the emerging masters of floating architecture
Danish practice Mast is featured in the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024
By Jens H Jensen Published
-
Step inside One High Line's sculptural forms in New York
One High Line, the residential building designed by Bjarke Ingels of BIG with interiors by Gabellini Sheppard and Gilles & Boissier, swirls up into the skyline absorbing its New York City context
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A redesigned Aarhus showroom reinterprets Danish history through modern context
Danish architecture studio Djernes & Bell transforms the Aarhus showroom for Dinesen and Garde Hvalsøe by blending old and new
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Minimalist Heatherhill Beach house was conceived with an 'essentialist mindset'
Heatherhill Beach house by Norm Architects in Denmark's Vejby is designed as a minimalist retreat conceived with an 'essentialist mindset'
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
3XN exhibition in Copenhagen discusses architecture through our senses
3XN exhibition 'Aware: Architecture and Senses' opens its doors at the Danish Architecture Center in Copenhagen
By Ellie Stathaki Published