UPCYCLE STUDIOS
What if waste was your only resource? What if waste concrete, wood and old windows could be your building materials and what if you could finance part of the rental through your own company?
Upcycle Studios is an award-winning project that demonstrate how 3,000 m2 rowhouses can save 45% CO2, turn 1,000 tonnes of waste into building materials. Built from recycled concrete, repurposed double glazing and discarded flooring boards. And what if the project showed the possibilities of how we can build sustainable buildings without having to compromise on quality, aesthetics or price.
20 sustainable townhouses in the Ørestad district of Copenhagen. Upcycle Studios enables a circular economy solution for the construction industry. It presents a solution for sustainable architecture by “upcycling” building materials, and it enables sustainable living by enabling the people living there to make alternative choices.
The jury at the Danish Design Award said: “This project demonstrates how a circular economy can be established enabling new buildings to be created from “upcycled” materials. The building industry generates a huge amount of waste – up to 35% of all waste globally comes from the construction industry. Therefore, real projects that address this issue are timely and important.
The idea is not new but Upcycle Studios demonstrates good design, material innovations and process documentation that is highly praiseworthy and sets a great example for others to follow and join.”
The houses are designed to be spacious and to help promote sustainable living, creating a fine indoor climate and making sharing easier. Some areas can be used as offices and others as rental accommodation, or for workshops and other user-defined needs. Roof gardens and solar panels add the potential for the houses to be self-sufficient, helping to allow for a “circular” way of life in tune with the building, which the architects hope residents will adopt.
LOCATION
Oerestad, Copenhagen
CLIENT
NREP
AG Group
PARTNERS
NREP
MOE
NORRECCO
YEAR
2018
