The UN17 Village is the first building project in the world that translates all 17 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into tangible action. The project – which has just won a development contest in Copenhagen, Denmark – is led by Lendager Group.

Pioneering sustainability solutions and commitment to the 17 SDGs were the decisive factors securing Lendager Group’s bid to design the UN17 Village – 400 new homes in Copenhagen, Denmark. The contest marks the end of 25 years of development, completing the new city district, Ørestad South. Lendager Group worked with the partners: NREP, Årstiderne Arkitekter, MOE og Arup.

In nature, waste does not exist: The built environment is responsible for more than 30% of our global emissions. However, it does not have to be this way. In nature, waste does not exist: organisms regenerate themselves and use dead organic materials as building blocks for future growth. The UN17 Village showcases how we can decouple growth from emissions by looking at waste as a resource, and by making sustainability and growth support each other without compromising on quality, aesthetics or price.  The UN17 Village will be built of upcycled waste – such as concrete, wood and window glass. Lendager Group has developed upcycled materials designed for use on an industrial scale. The products are harvested and processed locally, creating local jobs and enabling the construction of tomorrow’s cities from today’s waste globally.

Designed to be sustainable: The UN17 Village is designed to be sustainable from multiple perspectives: environmental, social, operational, indoor-climate-related and bio-diverse. As one of the world’s most alternative and sustainable building projects, the waste materials used are upcycled to create nontoxic and certified materials. The houses are designed with a spacious feel, all their elements helping to promote sustainable living and to create a good indoor climate. With rooftop solar panels, the houses are potentially self-sufficient. The biodiversity of the neighbourhood increases with the roof gardens: this is a housing project with a design that incentivises sustainable living.

“With the UN17 Village, we wanted to create not only an iconic and sustainable building from recycled materials, but also the opportunity for a sustainable lifestyle. So far, the focus in sustainable buildings has mainly been on their operational carbon emissions. We are looking at the whole life cycle of the building – including materials use, health, and quality of life,” explains Anders Lendager, CEO and founder of Lendager Group.

He continues: “We have developed a scalable process that brings all 169 milestones from the SDGs into focus. By translating these into concrete solutions, we have created a tool that makes it possible for everyone in the industry to implement the SDGs and to evaluate the result.”

Visualizations: TMRW