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.
CopenHill's new facilities integrate the latest waste treatment and energy production technologies, while also inviting thrill-seekers and recreational sports enthusiasts. Skiers have access to the 9,000m2 ski terrain, including the Olympic half-pipe-length ski slope, freestyle park, or timed slalom course. As skiers ascend the park from the platter lift, carpet lifts, or glass elevator, they can peek inside the energy plant's 24-hour operations.
Non-skier visitors can enjoy the rooftop bar, crossfit gym, climbing wall, or take in sights from the highest viewing plateau in the city before descending the 490-meter landscaped hiking and running trail designed by SLA.
Inside CopenHill, furnaces, steam, and turbines will convert some 440,000 tons of waste every year into enough clean energy that can provide electricity and heat for 150,000 homes, according to BIG. The ARC team occupies 10 floors of administrative space, which also includes a 600m2 education center for academic tours, workshops, and sustainability conferences.
CopenHill's facade consists of 1.2-meter-tall and 3.3-meter-wide aluminum bricks that are stacked like gigantic bricks overlapping each other. Glazed windows in between the bricks allow daylight into the facility, while larger openings on the southwest facade illuminate workstations on the administrative floors. According to BIG, the energy plant's 10,000m2 green roof absorbs heat, removes air particulates, and minimizes stormwater run-off.
“As a power plant, CopenHill is so clean that we have been able to turn its building mass into the bedrock of the social life of the city – its façade is climbable, its roof is hikeable and its slopes are skiable,” Bjarke Ingels said in a statement. “A crystal clear example of Hedonistic Sustainability – that a sustainable city is not only better for the environment – it is also more enjoyable for the lives of its citizens.”
Find project drawings and a drone video below.
I published the same idea years ago!
https://archinect.com/michael-jantzen/project/the-north-slope-ski-hotel
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No mention of the steam ring generator?
that got shelved to discourage kids from vaping.
I published the same idea years ago!
https://archinect.com/michael-jantzen/project/the-north-slope-ski-hotel
not even close.
in what sense is burning garbage considered green energy? if it were just buried instead that's at least sequestering carbon.
Unlike burning garbage in your back yard this plant (theoretically) is very efficient and clean, meaning it's a rational choice and sits somewhere on the good side of clean energy. A replacement for burning oil or coal. Denmark is pretty serious about being carbon neutral in the next decade. This is part of the plan. I have none of the details, but you know, in a country where oil and gas fired water-heaters are banned for new construction there is a good chance that a few calculations were made. On the other hand, would be even better if there were no waste to burn to begin with.
Denmark has to import garbage as fuel for their clean-burning energy system. Probably the most civilized country on Earth.
The Swedes are getting their backs up over that comment Miles
WG appreciate the thoughtful comment. I think it's easy to assume things are being planned to optimize results, but that's probably a fallacy. DK is a small country with nowhere to locate landfills (and coincidentally the largest per capita generator of waste in Europe!) so burning it is likely the low cost solution. I do trust they calculated that accurately. But the motive of this is not being green. Air pollution is in every way a more serious problem than landfilling, which isn't actually a problem, just an expense.
after the diesel scandal in EU, one should be very cautious about accepting 'green' solutions that prioritize technical solutions over sound principles. it's easy to get lost in theoretical calculations that obscure observable harm. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-08/europe-s-diesel-subsidies-are-causing-a-public-health-crisis
Doh I meant Norway. WTF, they all look the same to me. But I’d be happy to live anywhere in Northern Europe. Except Brussels.
seems like a lot of extra structure and waste in order to build a synthetic ski slope — the irony
"[burning garbage] is very efficient and clean."
So is natural gas which is banned in many cities yet powers about 35% of the national electrical grid (with coal powering 27%). So if you plug your Tesla into your garage outlet at night you are hardly being 'green' because of the coal component of the generated electricity. You would be 'greener' by using a generator running on natural gas to recharge your electric wheels.
How do we get this Natural Gas?
Well, I could tap the gas line in my basement that serves the boiler and hot water heater.
"Well you can't be perfect so you should be ashamed for trying."
Where does the Natural Gas in your gas line come from?
It originally is sourced from a natural gas field.
Not sure having a huge smoke stack anchoring your composition is the best look.
Not always true...
Good point. Maybe it’s because it’s smoking. Plus the four have a classical air about them. Maybe it’s the podium like base that grounds them. What about the Philip Morris HQ in Richmond?
Detroit just shut down its trash incinerator after 30+ years of protests over the air pollution to surrounding neighborhoods. What was old is now new again...
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