The rooftop park and artificial ski slope that will top Bjarke Ingels Group’s (BIG) Amager Bakke waste-to-energy plant, now known as Amager Ressourcecenter (ARC), has officially opened. In addition to the BIG-designed ski slope, the rooftop will also feature a nature-filled park, designed by SLA Architects.
The artificial ski slope is being created with a product from Neveplast, a company that creates dry ski slopes. The slope will feature various shades of green that will be a lighter shade in the middle and become progressively darker near the edges. The ski slope will start its approximately 1,640-foot-long run at the tallest point of the 290-foot-tall building’s roof. It will run to the power plant’s base and feature two turns equaling 180 degrees. Beneath the ski slope, furnaces, steam, and turbines convert 440,000 tons of waste annually into enough clean energy to deliver electricity and district heating for 150,000 homes.
Photo: Søren Aagaard.
The internal volumes of the power plant are determined by the positioning and organization of its machinery in height order, creating an efficient, sloping rooftop fit for a 9,000m2 ski terrain. At the top, experts can glide down the artificial ski slope with the same length as an Olympic half-pipe, test the freestyle park, or try the timed slalom course, while beginners and kids practice on the lower slopes. Skiers ascend the park from the platter lift, carpet lifts or glass elevator for a glimpse inside the 24-hour operations of a waste-to-plant.
See Also: BIG’s Audemars Piguet hotel des Horlogers allows guests to ski down the roof
The accompanying park will include hiking trails, climbing walls, trail running, vantage points, a rooftop bar, crossfit areas, and playgrounds across a 10,000-sm green roof. After experimenting with a wide range of nature-based design solutions, SLA specially selected different nature biotropes to withstand some of the difficult living conditions the building presented, such as the complicated wind and weather conditions found 290 feet in the air and heat from the large energy boilers under the roof.
Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj.
The nature will not just be contained to the power plant’s roof, as it has been designed to spread biodiversity to the surrounding area. “The rooftop’s nature is designed to attract and shelter a wide selection of birds, bees, butterflies and insects, which in itself will mean a dramatic increase in the biodiversity of the area. And utilizing natural pollination and seed dispersal will mean that we can spread the rooftop nature to also benefit the adjacent industry area, parking lots, and infrastructure. In this way, Amager Bakke will function as a generous ‘green bomb’ that will radically green-up the entire area,” said Rasmus Astrup, Partner and Project Director, SLA, in a release.
The dry ski slope and elements of the neighboring park are currently being installed and tested ahead of the planned April opening.
Photo: Laurian Ghinitoiu.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Mar 2, 2015
Proposed energy standard for data centers, telecom buildings open for public comment
The intent of ASHRAE Standard 90.4P is to create a performance-based approach that would be more flexible and accommodating of innovative change.
Industrial Facilities | Feb 27, 2015
Massive windmill will double as mixed-use entertainment tower in Rotterdam
The 571-foot structure will house apartments, a hotel, restaurants, even a roller coaster.
Cultural Facilities | Feb 25, 2015
Bjarke Ingels designs geodesic dome for energy production, community use
A new building in Uppsala, Sweden, will serve as a power plant during the winter and a venue for shows, festivals, and music events during the warm months.
Industrial Facilities | Feb 24, 2015
Starchitecture meets agriculture: OMA unveils design for Kentucky community farming facility
The $460 million Food Port project will define a new model for the relationship between consumer and producer.
Codes and Standards | Feb 12, 2015
New Appraisal Institute form aids in analysis of green commercial building features
The Institute’s Commercial Green and Energy Efficient Addendum offers a communication tool that lenders can use as part of the scope of work.
Contractors | Feb 6, 2015
Census Bureau: Capital spending by U.S. businesses increased 4.5%
Of the 19 industry sectors covered in the report, only one had a statistically significant year-to-year decrease in capital spending: the utilities sector.
Public Health Labs | Jan 29, 2015
Breaking out of the box: Pirbright Institute’s radical approach to biocontainment facility design
The novel scheme turns the typical containment lab building inside out, placing the high-containment spaces at the perimeter to provide researchers with daylight and views.
| Jan 21, 2015
Tesla Motors starts construction on $5 billion battery plant in Nevada
Tesla Motors’ “gigafactory,” a $5 billion project on 980 acres in Sparks, Nev., could annually produce enough power for 500,000 electric cars.
| Jan 2, 2015
Construction put in place enjoyed healthy gains in 2014
Construction consultant FMI foresees—with some caveats—continuing growth in the office, lodging, and manufacturing sectors. But funding uncertainties raise red flags in education and healthcare.
| Dec 29, 2014
'Russian nesting doll' design provides unique fire protection solution for movie negatives
A major movie studio needed a new vault to protect its irreplaceable negatives for films released after 1982. SmithGroupJJR came up with a box-in-a-box design solution. It was named a Great Solution by the editors of Building Design+Construction.