A City Rising from Rubble In 2014, Copenhagen was chosen as Europe's Green Capital, with 4 out of 10 people using bicycles. There are more than 390 km of bike lanes. Now, it has a new goal: to become a CO2-neutral city by 2025! With the increase in migration to the city, the population of Copenhagen is expected to rise by 15% in the next decade.
Lendager is an architecture firm dedicated to sustainable circular economy. It starts with the question, "Why do only people migrate to the city and not the buildings they leave behind?" The Orestad area, built on reclaimed wetlands, has become a showcase for new urbanism projects. Resource Rows is one of these projects. The Orestad area, created by reusing used architectural/construction materials obtained from abandoned structures in rural areas, has been recreated as an oasis. With this project, the firm has managed to reduce CO2 consumption by 70%.
When people leave their homes in rural areas and migrate to the city, the creation of new settlement areas for large masses emerges as a problem affecting all of Denmark. At the same time, the rural homes left behind also become abandoned.
Lendager recognized this gap and began to build a bridge in between. Because these old buildings, while waste in one location, contain materials that are documented as non-toxic and of high quality, and whose repairs are not feasible and demolitions are difficult and expensive. By recycling these, Resource Rows is the first settlement area created in Denmark.
The rebuilt structures in this area interact with nature in a very intelligent way: rainwater has been used for various purposes, green roofs have been created, and vertical gardens have been established. These green spaces have also supported biodiversity, enhancing the quality of social life.
It doesn’t stop there; tons of waste concrete have been used in Resource Rows. This waste concrete is obtained from the new Copenhagen Metro being constructed.
Another Danish company, Gamle Mursten, translates to "old bricks," goes even further by washing bricks from abandoned buildings with a patented cleaning method and selling them to construction companies. The cleaning of a single brick prevents 0.5 kg of CO2 emissions from the environment.
For this, bricks from buildings constructed before 1960 are used. Because bricks constructed after 1960...
The bricks produced are made using clay and cement. The new houses, schools, and other urban structures built with these bricks also possess a historical texture and spirit.An example of structures built using this method is the Vaekst Restaurant. It is an ideal place with a greenhouse and a vegetarian-oriented menu.The masterpiece of the Lendager company is the Recycling Center. It is constructed from 90% recycled materials. Here, an educational, socializing, and entertaining space has been designed. Visitors who bring their waste leave their glass in the glass room, their plastics in the plastic room, etc.In the center of the building, a swap section has been created, filled with materials that can be repaired and reused. At the same time, with sections used for conferences, workshops, and flea markets, recycling becomes a natural part of the city's overall culture.
