Archinect - News

BIG's CopenHill waste-to-energy ski slope named World Building of the Year 2021

2021-12-03T18:52:00-05:00

It doesn't happen every day that a large piece of urban infrastructure is crowned the globe's best new building design, but at today's closing ceremony of the annual World Architecture Festival, one industrial facility reigned supreme over a shortlist of 200 noteworthy new buildings: CopenHill, the illustrious waste-to-energy plant in Copenhagen also known as Amager Bakke, has been declared the World Building of the Year 2021.

Representing the Production, Energy & Recycling category, the Bjarke Ingels Group-designed project vastly expands the definition (and expectation) of an energy-sector facility, featuring a ski slope, hiking trail, and green terrains on its roof, sporting the world's tallest artificial climbing wall on its vertical facade as well as hosting a rooftop bar, cross-fit area, and a viewing plateau of the city.

Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj/Courtesy of WAF.

WAF Program Director Paul Finch praised the way CopenHill "addresses the role of architecture in the new world of recy...

'Of course we're not closing!': CopenHill ski slope operator pushes back against potential closure

2021-08-25T20:37:00-04:00

Following recent reports in the local Danish press that the famed CopenHill ski slope atop Copenhagen's Amager Bakke waste-to-energy plant could face temporary, or possibly permanent, closure due to unexpected wear and tear of its skiing surface, the operator of the BIG-designed attraction has now publicly denied the need to close.

CopenHill published a statement titled Facts about the ski surface on Amager Bakke: Of course we're not closing! on its website in which it acknowledges the faster than expected deterioration of the slope's surface fibers but assures that the damaged parts would be replaced soon without the need to close the slope.

"Yes, we experience that the steep part of the ski slope's surface wears faster than expected, and therefore, parts of the surface must be replaced," the statement reads. "When the ski base needs to be replaced, it is done in smaller areas at a time. It will therefore not go beyond opening hours, and you will continue to be able to ski in the ...

BIG's CopenHill ski slope may be closing after unexpected wear and tear incites insurance dispute

2021-08-24T12:00:00-04:00

Bad news for architectural tourists as local Danish publications are reporting that the ski slope atop the famous Bjarke Ingels-designed CopenHill waste-to-energy plant may have to be dismantled and repaired thanks to unseen wear and tear that could potentially close the popular urban destination until 2024.

The Copenhagen Post is reporting that an expected 9.5 million Kroner ($1.5 million) overhaul may loom for the feature pending the resolution of a dispute between the Amager Bakke Foundation and the Danish insurance company Tryg.

Located on the city’s Amager island, the multipurpose slope was central to the design of the nearly $670 million conversion plant which opened in March of 2017.

The slope itself opened two and half years later and is now facing a total reinstallation after a Foundation statement in June cited safety concerns that were the result of continued deterioration.

Previously on Archinect: BIG's waste-to-energy ski slope, Amager Bakke, is now open

Because Tryg ha...

World's tallest climbing wall heading to BIG's CopenHill

2020-05-20T11:56:00-04:00

Rising 85 meters high and 10 meters wide, the new climbing wall at the BIG-designed CopenHill is due to open this year and brings the residents of Copenhagen a climbing experience they'd never have otherwise. While designed as a traditional climbing wall, the routes get more difficult the higher one climbs. The experience is only open to "multi-pitch" certified climbers who have the proper experience and skill level to scale the wall safely.

Rowan Moore praises Bjarke Ingels as Rem Koolhaas "without the scent of intellectual and psychological complication"

2019-10-09T14:35:00-04:00

[Amager Bakke] is a work that revels in its own contrivance, a condensation and celebration of the surrounding artifice, a creation of what might be called hypernature. It is at once an energy facility, converting refuse into electricity, and a ski slope. It is arresting and striking. It’s an emblem of a culture of why-not and because-you-can that currently pops up in a number of modern cities [...]

Writing in The Guardian, architecture critic Rowan Moore heaps praise on Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and the firm's founder in a write-up of the firm's recently completed Amager Bakke project in Copenhagen.

Describing the architect's ability to impress clients, Moore writes, "He learned the power of shock from his former boss, Rem Koolhaas, without the scent of intellectual and psychological complication that major clients sometimes find off-putting about the latter. He presents himself as a seer, intoning about the future he means to shape, about the 'world-changing power of form-giving', but a cheeky one."

BIG's waste-to-energy ski slope, Amager Bakke, is now open

2019-10-04T16:05:00-04:00

The BIG day has arrived for the Danish firm's long-awaited, waste-to-energy ski slope Amager Bakke, which was inaugurated and fully opened to the public today. At 41,000m2, the year-round ski plant — also dubbed “CopenHill” — was the winning proposal of a 2011 competition that was designed by BIG in collaboration with SLA, AKT, Lüchinger+Meyer, MOE, and Rambøll. After a major setback in 2011, the project broke ground in 2013, and was partially open to visitors over the last two years.

The 100-meter-tall ski plant aligns with Copenhagen's mission of becoming the world's first carbon-neutral city by 2025. Designed for the Amager Resource Center (ARC), the project is located on the industrial waterfront of Amager, which has become a site for extreme sports.

Photo: Dragoer Luftfoto.

Photo: Aldo Amoretti.

CopenHill's new facilities integrate the latest waste treatment and energy production technologies, while also inviting thrill-seekers and recreational sports enthusiasts. Skiers have acc...

BIG tests out ski slopes for their waste-to-energy plant in Copenhagen

2019-01-10T15:55:00-05:00

Bjarke Ingels' transformation of a 100-meter-tall incinerator into a social and cultural hub in the heart of Copenhagen is set to open this coming spring. An example of what the Danish architect refers to as 'hedonistic sustainability', the waste-to-energy plant will not only be the cleanest in the world, but is also without equal for doubling as a public park, complete with hiking trails, a climbing wall, and a 600-meter-long ski slope.

Nearing completion, the Amager Resource Center—opening in seven weeks and billed as one of the most exciting openings of 2019—has begun testing its distinctive recreational option. This week, for the first time, public visitors have been allowed the chance to give the artificial ski slope a try. Capitalizing on the remaining winter holiday, a section of the slopes will be open a few days a week before an official, large-scale public opening in spring.

The slope has been designed in three sections, each graded by steepness and each offering differe...

BIG's Copenhagen waste-to-energy plant is finally getting the promised ski slope and rooftop park

2018-01-11T15:20:00-05:00

Remember that waste-to-energy incinerator Bjarke Ingels designed for Copenhagen with a ski slope on top a few years back? The plant itself (dubbed 'Copenhill') was already completed and opened in March of 2017, but the ski-slope-rooftop-park-cherry-on-top was left behind — until now: Danish landscape architects SLA just unveiled the final design for the 16,000 sqm Amager Bakke rooftop activity landscape based on the initial BIG master plan.

Image: SLA

From SLA: "When completed in September 2018, the green rooftop park will provide a host of outdoor activities for Copenhageners and visitors alike: Hiking trails, playgrounds, street fitness, trail running, vantage points, climbing walls and shelters – as well as 500+ meters ski slopes designed by BIG."

Image: SLA

"Creating a nature-filled activity park on top of the 88 meters tall waste-to-energy plant is a project without previous references: The extremely steep slope of the roof has put great demands on the planting design and the co...

BIG’s waste-to-energy ski slope incinerator scrapped due to environmental concerns.

2011-12-07T11:10:00-05:00

Last year, when BIG unveiled its fantastical ski resort on top of a waste-to-energy incinerator plant in Copenhagen, we were admittedly intrigued. But we weren’t at all surprised when the City of Copenhagen denied the project yesterday because they believe it will damage the climate and environment.

Bjarke Ingels designs incinerator that doubles as ski slope in Copenhagen

2011-07-05T12:02:00-04:00

How do you turn a 100-metre-tall incinerator in the heart of Copenhagen into a social and cultural hub? By building a ski slope on the roof, of course.

We also published news of this project back in January.

BIG Puts a Ski Slope on Copenhagen’s New Waste-to-Energy Plant

2011-01-26T17:33:00-05:00

News just broke that BIG + realities:united + AKT + Topotek 1 & Man Made Land have been selected to design the new Waste-to-Energy Plant that doubles as a ski slope for Copenhagen’s citizens and its visitors by 2016.

Instead of considering the new Amagerforbraending as an isolated architectural object, the building is conceived as an opportunity to create a destination in itself and thereby reflecting the progressive vision to create a new type of waste treatment facility. The roof of the new Amagerforbraending is turned into a 31.000 m2 ski slope of varying skill levels for the citizens of Copenhagen, its neighboring municipalities and visitors, mobilizing the architecture and redefining the relationship between the waste plant and the city by expanding the existing recreational activities in the surrounding area into a new breed of waste-to-energy plant. - Bustler