Competition win: The future Copenhagen Metro Stations can be a Deep Dive into Biomaterials

We are very happy to share that we won the architectural idea competition with our proposal for a new and more climate-friendly metro. Our proposal shows that you can’t achieve a resource-efficient and climate-friendly metro station with a superficial material adaptation. Instead, it requires a comprehensive and holistic approach to sustainable design and construction leading passengers from A to B in a material-optimized, climate-friendly metro concept.

Presented via the three-scaled strategy: Materials, Mobility Hub, and Climate Campaign our concept not only focuses on reducing CO2 emissions but also seeks to connect the metro to the overall mobility strategy and engage the thousands of daily passengers.

Materials – Less is more

The current metro stations are characterized by a simple palette of materials and details, which we have retained in our proposal.

Using the 3Rs principle of reducing, reusing and recycling, our proposal is built upon the “less is more” approach: no unnecessary layers. Instead of placing a thin ‘green’ layer on concrete, we propose a consistent material optimization highlighting the supporting structure in wood, using, and reusing, biomaterials.

 

Examples of material-optimization such as tiles produced using biotechnology.

Mobility Hub

We propose integrating the metro into the overall mobility strategy, creating a smooth transition to other green transportation forms guiding passengers all the way to their destination.

Copenhagen’s sustainable transport hubs, including the metro stations, are perfectly suited for generating active city life. As a modern version of the historic Copenhagen telephone kiosks, we propose M-pavilions contributing to active life and solving the first/last mile problem. The pavilions and side rooms in the metro stations’ shafts can facilitate services and public functions such as safe cycle parking, a parcel centre, shared bikes/scooters, coffee shops, and more.

Climate Campaign

More than 20.000 people a day use the Copenhagen Metro and therefore its climate-change potential goes far beyond CO2 savings achieved through material optimization. With campaigns and visual communication, the metro can contribute to public information and climate action among passengers. We suggest climate campaign initiatives such as cinematic projections, billboards on the escalators, and an app – all contributing to communicating sustainability in many aspects.

Date: 29 November 2022
Links: Go to the project page