Amager Bakke: A ski slope on waste – CopenHill

Culture

800
Rasmus Hjortshøj COAST

BIG has built an artificial ski slope and hiking paths on the enormous slanting roof of this heating and power plant in a part of Copenhagen that doesn’t normally attract much attention.

How futuristic does an artificial ski slope and recreational hill on top of a waste-to-energy plant sound? Well, at Amager Bakke this is just one part of its major sci-fi-worthy overhaul being conducted by star architecture studio BIG.

The building merges progressive visions of Amager Resource Center with an iconic, multifunctional landmark building meant to attract locals and visiting tourists alike.

Favorite spot to enjoy a free view of the city

The raw industrial was already a destination for extreme sport enthusiasts and thrill seekers. Some of the remarkable new leisure activities, placed atop the building just a few kilometres from the city centre, are Europe’s highest climbing wall, a hiking slope and the year-round ski slope.

For lunch there’s a restaurant upstairs, or a marvellous picnic with a view. Amager Bakke is now the tallest and biggest building in the entire city and it winds around itself, with beautiful rounded edges and varying heights.

Energy-efficient facility

Even though it has only recently replaced the former 45-year-old plant, Amager Bakke is already one of Europe’s highest performing in terms of energy efficiency, waste treatment capacity and environmental consideration. Amager Bakke is not entirely a succes story though. Building costs went far over budget and the capacity of the new plant is so high, that it has been necessary to import waste from abroad, which has attracted a lot of criticism.

Near Amager Bakke

After a morning on the slopes, your legs are sore, your stomach rumbles, and you head out to find something to eat. From Amager Bakke, you can cycle along Refshalevej to Refshaleøen, an icon in Danish industrial history offering a multitude of cultural offerings, architectural history, and culinary experiences.

Area

Amager

Architect

BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group

Client

Amager Ressource Center

Landscape architect

SLA

Engineer

MOE
Rambøll

Collaborator

Lokale og Anlægsfonden

Built

2018