UPCYCLE STUDIOS

Introduction

In recent years the entrepreneurial spirit has increased in the metropolitan area. For more and more people, the day is not clean cut into distinct categories as it used to be and the dream of the good life has become more about living and working with a flexible schedule rather than the well-known “9-17”. Concepts such as flexibility, symbiosis, exchange and resource efficiency are high on the agenda for many Danes, which goes to show that alternative ways of thinking of life and social structure are emerging. The Sharing Economy is a fine example of this trend.

“But how can the Sharing Economy manifest itself in the physical realm?”. This has been the core focus for the development of Upcycle Studios. We have based the concept on the Sharing Economy, because the basic idea of access over ownership is founded on several essential aspects of sustainable development. Secondly, the economy of scale is taking on one of the most important environmental initiatives: sharing resources. Communities are developing around the concept of sharing resources, which has the benefit of providing economic gain for both owner and consumer.

The acknowledged Danish media, Politiken Byrum, has published this fantastic article about Upcycle Studios on the day of the inauguration.

1 2 3

TYPE, SIZE, SITE

Residential

3000 m²

Denmark, Ørestad

CUSTOMER

NREP A/S

Arkitektgruppen A/S

PARTNERS

Arkitektgruppen A/S

MOE A/S

Norrecco A/S

STATUS, YEAR

Under construction

2015 – 2018

TEAM

Partner in charge: Anders Lendager

Project manager: Jesper Høiberg

Employees: Anette Orth Laybourn, Mathias Ruø Rasmussen, Nicholas Ransome, Niklas Nolsøe, Iben Nørkjær, Torben Vestergaard, Sunniva Garshol, Signe Balthazar Munk

Context

Upcycle Studios is part of the upcoming Ørestad South district. The project has been developed in one of the sites in Ørestad Syd with the highest degree of complexity. The vast majority of Ørestad Syd is classified as a perimeter block and the district therefore consists of a large portion of townhouses and apartments that are oriented towards a street space to one side and a courtyard to the other.

However, Upcycle Studios has street spaces on either side and therefore not the same clear front/back situation as the rest of the district. The context is commercial construction of up to 11 floors on the street to the south side and 3 story townhouses on the street to the north. It is within this complexity that the new homes will develop. A development that is about balancing high and low, shadow and sun, housing and business.

Concept

The main concept of the project is based on the raw urban context, but also the prevailing tendencies in society – not only to ensure that the homes blend naturally with their surroundings, but also that they are in harmony with a new sustainable way of living. In Upcycle Studios concepts such as symbiosis, resource efficiency and Sharing Economy form the foundation for the new housing. This is reflected, amongst other things, by the project’s high degree of flexibility, which ensures the best possible use of the homes at all hours of the day and in different phases of life.

Thus, a home can be used as a combined housing and workshop for creative freelancers or self-employed entrepreneurs, but also as one dwelling for large families or divided into two separate apartments. This allows the owner to rent out one apartment permanently or through, for example, Airbnb, to earn a little extra, while waiting to expand their family circle during periods of life where there is no need for so many rooms.

1 2 3 4

Stueplan

1. sal

2. sal

Snit

Masterplan

Materials

Building waste today represents a huge untapped resource, which will be exploited for the construction of Upcycle Studios. We will ensure that the valuable building materials move to the cities when people move. By reusing the walls from the abandoned dwellings as new facade elements, you save CO2 and virgin materials, while also getting a new building with history and character from day one.

WHAT IF: We could create homes with history? We could build new dwellings out of waste such as residual wood, crushed concrete and windows from old buildings? We could build exclusive sustainable housing at no additional cost? We could minimize the total carbon footprint of the dwellings?

WHY: We reconsider and reuse the untapped resources in “construction waste” to build new homes! We build using sustainable, non toxic and certified materials! The utilization of existing resources has a positive direct impact on the environment!

In Upcycle Studios 75 percent of the windows come from abandoned buildings in North Jutland, Denmark. And 1400 tons of upcycle concrete are casted from very durable concrete waste from the construction of Copenhagen Metro. The wood for floors, walls and facades are produced of wood waste from an exclusive wood manufacturer – and the strong collaboration makes it possible to reuse the wood in the building.

Lendager ARC has in collaboration with Lendager UP processed the materials, so they both in quality and function as well as aesthetically appear as beautiful and sustainable building materials!

Social

The quality of life in Upcycle Studios is built around the motto “The community thrives best if there is space for the individual”. It is about a strong sense of community and neighborhood that does not hinder the individual’s right to privacy and self-expression. – and it’s about the Sharing Economy. The Sharing Economy, which has flourished in recent years, proves that it is extremely practical to allow resources that are otherwise unused to be shared by people other than the owner. This provides an economic incentive to all parties involved.