CopenHill, designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), was named World Building of the Year at the 2021 World Architecture Festival (WAF).
The plant, which turns waste into energy, was completed in 2019 after a decade-long design process. Unlike many waste treatment plants, CopenHill is a tourist destination, boasting a number of amenities including a 9,000-square-meter artificial ski slope located above the plant, a rooftop bar, a climbing wall and a 490-meter walking and jogging trail designed by SLA.
WAF Program Director Paul Finch says the building is a pioneering project for the future of zero emissions and sustainability.
“It handles infrastructure projects in such a way that people say ‘yes in my backyard’ instead of ‘no’,” he says.
“It encourages designers to think beyond the brief, champion ideas, and ride the tides of politics and economics in pursuit of social benefit. It reminds us that buildings can be fun.”
The building is in line with Copenhagen’s goals of being the first carbon-neutral city by 2025. Beneath the slope, a number of furnaces, steam and turbines convert 440,000 tons of waste into clean energy, which powers 150,000 homes on an annual basis.
This year’s WAF futuristic project was awarded to Studio V Architecture for the Silo City project. The practice has adaptively reused the world’s largest set of grain elevators on an arts and culture campus on the Buffalo River in New York.
“This project began with the ruins of the world’s largest collection of grain elevators, and through wonderful seductive images you visualize a future for them, the city of Buffalo – and post-industrial cities,” a statement to the jury read.
SLA Architects were once again in the winner’s circle for their work in completing the V Park, located in Abu Dhabi. The statement from the jury, which has been called the first urban biodiversity park in the Middle East, said, “V Park is a thoughtful and intelligent response that takes into account pressing contemporary social and environmental issues. It is more than a delightful and biodiverse oasis in a dense desert city.” “.
WAF also has an award category for project proposals that seek to address global problems, titled The WAFX Prize. Horizon Manila has been selected by William T. Jr. as the winner for 2021, which includes the conception of a 419-hectare master plan that will fuel the growth and development of the Philippine city.
In the run-up to the 14th edition of the festival, a number of Australian projects have been announced as winners in their respective categories. Please find the full list below.
Completed buildings
- Phoenix Central Park – Durbach Block Jaggers / John Wardle Architects: Winner – Culture
- Coopworth – FMD Architects: Winner – Home & Villa (rural/nature)
- Holme Apartments – John Wardle Architects: Winner – Housing
- Fortitude Valley State High School – Cox Architecture & Thomson Adsett: Winner – School
- Olderfleet – Grimshaw: Winner – The Office
- Redevelopment of Ken Rosewall Arena – Cox Architecture: Winner – Sport
future projects
- Atlassian Headquarters – Shop Architects, BVN, Eckersley O’Callaghan: Winner – The Office
For the full list of WAF Awards winners, click here.
Pictures: supplied