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Waste treatment, energy production, architectural ingenuity, and extreme sporting collide in an ultra-modern development now being assembled in Copenhagen. The innovative piece of urban infrastructure, part of the Amager Resource Center, is located in a heavily industrial part of town that has become a thriving hub for thrill seekers. The raw landscape that defines the island of Amager is filled with parks, beaches, dunes, and a lagoon, providing daredevils with the perfect environment for activities like wakeboarding, go-kart racing, and rock climbing. Nicknamed Amager Bakke, Amager Hill in English, the new facility embraces the area's symbiotic relationship between industry and recreation by topping a fully functioning waste-to-energy plant with a vertiginous ski slope.
The 1.02-million-square-foot scheme by Denmark's own Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) seemingly bursts through the ground and terminates 100 metres above. The internal skeleton of the building is comprised of cast-in-place concrete and steel, while the exterior is skinned in a checkerboard-like pattern of stacked aluminum bricks interspersed with glass. In addition to giving the building a distinct textured appearance, these bricks double as planters, creating a natural green facade.
The geometry of the building supports three artificial ski slopes of differing gradients, accommodating a range of experience levels. Skiers and snowboarders eager to get a glimpse of the internal workings of the plant will be able to do so via the glass-walled elevator shaft that shuttles passengers to and from the roof. The inviting terrain essentially performs as a real mountain, featuring abundant green space, hiking trails, and climbing walls. Like a Swiss resort, the top of the building will include a viewing platform complemented by a cafe.
The state-of-the-art complex will be equipped with two furnace lines and a joint turbine and generator system, replacing a 45-year-old plant of four furnace lines. By 2017, the plant will treat approximately 400,000 tonnes of waste, supply a minimum of 62,500 households with electricity and another 160,000 households with district heating. To demonstrate to the public the environmental impact of their energy consumption, the plant's smokestack will emit a 'smoke ring' for each tonne of carbon dioxide exhausted. The novel development is inching closer to reality as cladding continues to encase the structure, which has already been fitted with its trademark smokestack. Amager Bakke not only cements BIG's reputation as an inspirational international architecture firm, but it's a project that exemplifies Denmark's commitment to environmental integration and sustainability.
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