Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, is on the list of cities providing its residents with the best quality of life in the world. The need to build a new incineration plant in the central part of Copenhagen has become a real challenge to the global architectural community. Nobody wants to have such an object, figuratively speaking, “in their backyard”, but at the same time 100,000 households need heat and electricity.
The forward-thinking architects of the Bjarke Ingels group were able to propose an original idea and combine both an incineration plant and … an active recreation center within the framework of one object. This concept made it possible to fit the plant directly into the social context. The chosen location - the former North Harbor of Amager Island with its industrial past - is already a great place for sports - water skiing, sailing, go-karting and rock climbing.
The Amager Resource Center incinerator is a project that intricately combines technology, ecology and sport. It looks like a natural formation, like an ordinary mountain, but inside it is a modern power plant, outside there is a facade made of aluminum cassettes, and on the roof with an area of about 16,000 square meters there is a natural landscape for sports. The locals named the new "mountain" Copenhill.
Considering the planned height of the building - almost 90 meters, the idea of a ski slope 60 meters wide and 200 meters long lay literally on the surface. Now the trail with varied terrain provides an excellent pastime for both beginners and experienced skiers and snowboarders. Copenhill also has hiking trails and steps for those looking to climb the summit.
This fantastic project has been brought to life for 9 years, and only became successful thanks to the close cooperation of all participants. Above all, the architects and designers from SLA, the gardening company Malmos A / S and the green roof specialists ZinCo, whose motto “Everything is possible on the roof”, has been brilliantly confirmed in the design of the roof.
ZinCo Elastodrain® and Protectodrain® building protection and drainage elements provide a secure roof foundation.
Roof slopes up to 30 ° must be resistant to erosion, especially in conditions of heavy rain and sea wind. For this reason, the concrete base has sealed diagonal barriers that direct the water not downwards, but towards the edges of the slope. The planting sites for large trees were reinforced with supports reinforced with screw anchors.
On each side of the slope, there are steps of varying heights and a winding network of hiking trails covering an area of approximately 3000 m². It was here that the extremely durable, fully vulcanized rubber Elastodrain® EL 200 protective layer was installed. This was followed by a PV system filter and galvanized mesh reinforcement. The concrete was left visible to mimic the natural shapes of the stones.
Planting 300 trees and securing them from wind and erosion was particularly challenging when you consider that the largest tree weighs 2.5 tons. Drip irrigation ensures that the artificial mountain is permanently green.
As for the 8000 m2 ski area, Protectodrain® PD 250 drainage elements with a system filter were installed. The next layer is sandwiched between two synthetic mesh, which are connected to each other using approximately half a million cable ties. Also integrated into this layer are about 70,000 metal plates, to which are attached Neveplast synthetic mats measuring 30 × 30 cm. Five different matte shades from light green to dark green and various gradients make the track look like a natural slope on which real grass grows.
Visitors can combine outdoor activities with a tour of the factory, reflect on the topic of waste recycling and revise their own consumer habits. The plant recycles waste from 550,000 residents and 45,000 companies and supplies the city with recycled materials, electricity and district heating.
Facts:
Construction Project / Developer: Amager Resource Center, 2300 Copenhagen, Denmark
Year built: 2018/2019
Roof area: approx. 16,000 m²
Green roof system: ZinCo with Elastodrain® EL 200 / Protectodrain® PD 250
Architect: BIG Bjarke Ingels Group, 2500 Copenhagen, Denmark
Landscape Architect: SLA, 2300 Copenhagen, Denmark
Green Roof Contractor: Malmos A / S, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
System provider: ZinCo Danmark A / S, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
System manufacturer: ZinCo GmbH, 72622 Nürtingen, Germany Material provided by ZinCo RUS
