Denmark’s flat landscape will no longer prevent people from enjoying downhill skiing after plans were revealed to turn a power plant into an artificial slope. According to the Politiken newspaper, a clever design for a new combined heat and power (CHP) facility in Amager, northeast Denmark, will allow the factory to double up as a downhill run.
Formed as a 90-metre mountain, the hi-tech plant will be wrapped in a white plastic shell, allowing sports enthusiasts to enjoy the fun of a year-round ski-slope without having to invest in expensive equipment to keep out the cold. A contest to design the replacement for the 40-year-old furnaces was won by the BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, partly because of their innovative suggestion.
Visitors to the attraction will be able to enjoy views over southern Sweden and Copenhagen after riding to the top of the 1,500-metre building on an indoor elevator. The Amagerforbraending waste and energy company, which is managing the project, is hoping the DEK 3.5 billion (USD 6.5 million) project will become Copenhagen’s new landmark.
“It’s a fantastic idea,” said Amagerforbaending manager Ulla Rottger. “People will be able to run, bike and ski on the building.” Rottger added that it is hoped that the building will showcase both Denmark’s technological and environmental know-how.
The BIG group beat 36 other Danish and international architectural companies in the running to design the building. The firm’s founder, Bjarke Ingels, said, “A CHP plant with a ski slope on the roof is a great example of a city and a building which is ecological, economical and socially viable.”
The structure, which is expected to be finished by 2016, will be 20 percent more efficient than the last one, resulting in a reduction of up to 60,000 tonnes of annual C02 emissions.
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Wow, that’s pretty interesting. Would have never thought something like this would be possible, let alone envisioned.
It does sound like a big project. Amazing though. Might be a visit worth, the next time I’m around those parts.
I gotta agree with you Peter. I’m also very much an admirer of Bjarke Ingels. I ma looking forward to seeing this finished.
How big will this be? I have a hard time grasping the proportions of a project like this.
No matter what, it sounds amazing. hopefully it will be well visited.
Bjarke Ingels ftw!