Traditionally, people in Denmark leave their country to go skiing. But now the CopenHill waste incinerator provides them with a ski slope all year round. It is all thanks to a truly spectacular architectural project. It might be coincidence. Or luck. Or the seemingly infinite vision of architectural superstar Bjarke Ingels. After all, it was Ingels who came up with the idea of adding a ski slope to a waste incinerator in Copenhagen. The name of this unique construction: CopenHill.
In spite of this, 15 percent of Danes are keen skiers. Long before COVID reared its ugly head, Bjarke Ingels developed a concept for a state-of-the-art incinerator that would make Danish people a little less dependent on international ski tourism. This is where the CopenHill project comes in. Essentially, it is a gigantic waste incinerator called Amager Bakke that was built not far from Copenhagen.
A whole host of options were explored at the outset to make the notion of a power plant for turning , tonnes of waste into energy every year more palatable to the local population. It was at this point that Bjarke Ingels and BIG joined the discussion, going into business soon afterwards. A single glance at CopenHill is enough to see that it is no ordinary building: its wedge-shaped design, sloping green roof and blocky facade of aluminium tiles — measuring 1.
But inside is where it really gets technical. Here, the plant is equipped with the latest waste treatment and energy production technologies that are able to actually turn waste into clean energy. Every day, the power plant already provides , households in Copenhagen with electricity and district heating. The power plant was designed by BIG to be used as a public place of recreation. Halfway down, you can take a degree bend with a snowplough or stem turn.
Needless to say, you can take a button lift or magic carpet back up to the top. But if any of the skiers want to have a look inside the waste incinerator, they can take a glass lift that goes through the inside of the power plant.
