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
Office Buildings | Jul 27, 2017
*UPDATED* This will be the largest flight training center in Europe and the Middle East
The center will cover about 30,000 sm and feature 18 simulators.
Industrial Facilities | Jul 26, 2017
EGGER will invest $700 million to build its first U.S. manufacturing facility
The company says the new facility will create 770 jobs over the next 15 years.
Industrial Facilities | Jul 21, 2017
Ridge breaks ground on two industrial buildings at Charleston Logistics Center
The buildings will total 686,300 sf, with each building accounting for 343,150 sf.
Market Data | Apr 13, 2017
2016’s top 10 states for commercial development
Three new states creep into the top 10 while first and second place remain unchanged.
Industrial Facilities | Apr 12, 2017
Energizing the neighborhood
The Denny Substation in Seattle is designed to give local residents a reason to visit.
Industrial Facilities | Feb 21, 2017
Made in NY Campus to be a hub for film and fashion
The project looks to provide an enhanced sense of place for tenant companies and community members.
Transit Facilities | Sep 29, 2016
Greenbuild to showcase an infrastructure project for the first time
Skanska-built light-rail extension in Los Angeles achieves Envision’s highest recognition.
| Sep 1, 2016
INDUSTRIAL GIANTS: A ranking of the nation's top industrial design and construction firms
Stantec, BRPH, Fluor Corp., Walbridge, Jacobs, and AECOM top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest industrial sector AEC firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
Industrial Facilities | Jul 25, 2016
Snøhetta, Bjarke Ingels among four finalists for S.Pellegrino bottling plant design
A committee will evaluate proposals in September.
Industrial Facilities | Jun 16, 2016
Western U.S. ports prepare to handle increased shipping from expanded Panama Canal
The expansion of the Panama Canal might make some eastern U.S. ports more attractive to large-vessel operators. But West Coast ports aren’t ready to roll over and play dead just yet.
