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CopenHill power plant and ski slope is World Building of the Year 2021

Credit: World Architecture Festival (WAF)
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Bristol, UK
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World Building of the Year 2021 has been given to CopenHill, a waste-to-energy power plant in Denmark that also serves as a ski slope, climbing wall, and rooftop bar.

Looking for a fun getaway next year, provided the pandemic actually calms down for longer than twenty minutes? Want to get your ski practice in while also checking out the world’s most unique, clean energy power plant?

Denmark has your very obscure needs covered with CopenHill, a new sustainable power plant in Copenhagen, Denmark that converts waste produce by the city into heat energy.

It also includes an urban recreation centre and environmental education hub, with a ski slope, hiking trail, climbing wall, and rooftop bar. The building is part of Copenhagen’s plans to become the world’s first carbon-neutral city by 2025, and covers 41,000 m2.

CopenHill has just been named World Building of the Year 2021 at the World Architecture Festival (WAF), beating over 200 competitors in the final shortlist.

It represented the ‘Production, Energy, & Recycling’ category and was described by WAF Program Director, Paul Finch, as encouraging ‘designers to think beyond the brief’. He also praised the novelty of its design, exclaiming that ‘it reminds us buildings can be fun!’

The design certainly goes a long way to re-imagining the idea of a ‘power plant’ and its knock-on effects for residents and the environment.

Keep in mind too that many of this building’s extra features are reflective of the extreme sports community within Copenhagen, encouraging involvement from locals as well as tourists.

Credit: World Architecture Festival

CopenHill was designed by the Bjarke Ingels Group, and is the cleanest power plant in the world, at least right now. The gas emitted from the power plant itself is just steam – no carbon involved.

Made of glass and stacked aluminium bricks, CopenHill converts 440,000 tons of waste annually, and provides electricity and district heating for 150,000 homes.

Fancy a trip yourself? Check out the official website here.

Remote Writer Bristol, UK

I’m Charlie (He/Him), a Remote Writer at Thred. I was previously the Editor at Thred before moving to Bristol in 2024. As a music and gaming enthusiast, I’m a nerd for pop culture. You can find me curating playlists, designing article headline images, and sipping cider on a Thursday. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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