Archinect - News

Beijing's big air slope offers Olympics viewers a captivating example of adaptive reuse

2022-02-08T15:55:00-05:00

Freeski big air opened its Olympic competition Monday at the world’s first permanent, city-based big air facility, a repurposed steel mill on the west side of Beijing that’s made a stunning backdrop for one of the Games’ newest sports.

The venue is the one-time home of a steel production facility that was shuttered ahead of the 2008 games to create a generally greener picture of the country to Western news outlets. Its former grounds have been transformed into a greenery-laced headquarters for the games’ Organizing Committee, with an additional industrial sound-installation infused multi-use museum and office development occupying its former blast furnace.

The transformation of the site will eventually include the overhauling of one of its ominous cooling towers into a wedding venue. The Copenhill-esque slope is slightly larger than similar structures seen in Boston and Atlanta and is noteworthy as the first venue to host the newly-added event, which has been described as a “high-risk home run derby for snowboarding and freestyle skiing.”

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...

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...