The world’s first upcycled high-rise building

In collaboration with Lendager Group, architectural studio Tredje Natur proposes what they say is the world’s first upcycled high-rise building, called CPH Common House.

The building, designed for housing and retail in Ørestad, a district in Copenhagen, rethinks the traditions of the classic Copenhagen courtyard building, incorporating microclimate, resource use and recycling of material in the overall architectural approach.

The project would use local recycled building materials, to minimise CO2 emissions and generate a new resource efficient building with a local identity. Element façades are made of recycled tiles and concrete with brick fractures, wood panelling is made with recycled window frames, and the floors are covered with recycled wood. The proposal calculates to use 17,577 tons of waste, saving 1,174 tons of CO2 in the building phase alone.

In addition to recycling materials, the design includes green façades and roof with local plants.

“With CPH Common House, we want to show that you can easily build high and densely without losing the connection to history, context and the human scale,” Ole Schrøder, partner at Tredje Natur, says. “The project is based on a strong understanding of the site, resources and the microclimate – which creates an empathetic benchmark for sustainable high-rise buildings in Copenhagen.”

Images: Tredje Natur / Lendager Group