Danish practice Christensen & Co has completed work on Denmark’s first carbon neutral public building at the University of Copenhagen.

The project will be used to as a showcase of sustainable design during next month's climate change conference in Copenhagen.

The building, called the Green Lighthouse, uses 90% less energy than the average university building in Denmark and will provide social and formal meeting spaces for students and staff at the University of Copenhagen’s Science Faculty.

“Sustainable design is not a question of stuffing the building with expensive high-tech gadgets. It starts with good old fashioned common sense,” said practice spokesman Andreas Michelsen.


The structure uses a combination of LED lighting, photovoltaic panels, solar heating, heat recovery systems and a geothermal heat source.


It has been orientated to maximise the use of natural light and solar power while windows and doors have been designed with automatic shade to control solar gain.

The project was commissioned by the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, the University of Copenhagen, the City of Copenhagen and the window producers VELUX and VELFAC.




Postscript

The upcoming Sustainability Now virtual event on 8 – 9 December is focusing on “Copenhagen and construction” and includes debates looking at the what effect the Copenhagen conference may have on architecture and construction. The event will also look at refurbishment, Passivhaus, data/embodied energy and the green agenda.

For more information and the full conference programme, visit http://www.ubmvirtualevents.com/sustainability-now/

Register for free at - https://vts.inxpo.com/scripts/InXpo.nxp?LASCmd=AI:4;F:QS!10100&ShowKey=1833&AffiliateKey=9926&AffiliateData=bdeditorial

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