The completion of 61,000 m2 of 8 House projects in Orestad allows people to bike all the way from the ground floor to the top, moving alongside townhouses with garden winding through an urban perimeter block. The design of this mixed-use development project fully incorporates the green element into its architecture and the project has been awarded as the 'best green roof in the Scandinavia by the Scandinavian green roof association.
The architectural firm BIG (designer of project) has been partly inspired by classic townhouses as well as the open, democratic nature of functionalistic architecture and designed a long, coherent house with immense differences in height, creating a strong inflow of light and a unique local community with small gardens and pathways that channel ones thoughts into mountains in Southern Europe and memories of a childhood home. The bow-shaped building creates two distinct spaces, separated by the centre of the bow which hosts the communal facilities of 500 m2. At the very same spot, the building is penetrated by a 9 meter wide passage that connects the two surrounding city spaces: the park area to the west and the channel area to the east. Instead of dividing the different functions of the building - for both habitation and trades - into separate blocks, the various functions have been spread out horizontally.
| At a Glance | |
| Client | : St. Frederikslund Holding |
| Architect | : BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group |
| Collaboration | : Hopfner Partners, Moe & Brodsgaard, Klar |
| Size | : 61,000 M2, 476 Residences |
| Cost | : Eur 92,000,000 |
| Location | : Copenhagen, Dk |
| Status | : Completed 2010 |
| Partner-In-Charge | : Bjarke Ingels, Thomas Christoffersen |
| Project Leader | : Ole Elkjaer-Larsen, Henrick Villemoes Poulsen |
| Project Manager | : Finn Norkjaer, Henrik Lund |
The apartments are placed at the top while the commercial programme unfolds at the base of the building. As a result, the different horizontal layers have achieved a quality of their own: the apartments benefit from the view, sunlight and fresh air, while the office leases merge with life on the street. This is basically emphasized by the shape of 8 House which is literally 'hoisted up' in the North East corner and 'squeezed down' at the South West corner, allowing light and air to enter the court yard in the middle.
8 House is a three-dimensional neighborhood rather than an architectural object. An alley of 150 rowhouses stretches through the entire block and twists all the way from street level to the top and down again. Where social life, the spontaneous encounter and neighbor interaction traditionally is restricted to the ground level, the 8 House allows it to expand all the way to the top.
The 8 House uses size to its advantage by creating immense differences in height thereby creating a unique sense of community with small gardens and pathways that remind you of the intimacy of an Italian hill town. With spectacular views towards the Copenhagen Canal and Kalvebod Faelled's protected open spaces, 8 House provides residences to people in all of life's stages through its 476 housing units, including apartments of varied sizes, penthouses and townhouses as well as office spaces to the city's business and trade in one single building.
According to Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner, BIG, "8 House is our second realized example of architectural alchemy - the idea that by mixing traditional ingredients, retail, rowhouses and apartments in untraditional ways - you create added value if not gold. The mix allows the individual activities to find their way to the most ideal location within the common framework - the retail facing street, the offices towards northern light and the residences with sun and views to the open spaces. 8 House is a perimeter block that morphs into a knot, twisting and turning to maximize the life quality of its many inhabitants."
BIG has demonstrated a very clear and conscious use of the green roof, successfully integrating it into the visual identity of the building. These not only provide the environmental benefits that we all know come from green roofs, but also add to the visual drama and appeal of the sloping roofs and rooftop terrace in between.
"We have now completed three remarkable buildings in Orestad, the VM Houses, The Mountain and finally the 8 House - which is the sole result of a good and constructive collaboration with talented young architects who had a good understanding for the economical aspects," said Per Hopfner, CEO, Hopfner Partners.
