Expected to be completed in 2013, UN City in Denmark has recently won the prestigious ”GreenBuilding Award 2012” by the European Commission. Located at Marmormolen north of Copenhagen’s city center, UN City is a truly green building that will expected to become one of Denmark’s most energy efficient buildings with an annual energy consumption of less than 50 KwH per m2 (Danish Energy Class 1).
With a holistic approach as a guiding principle in designing and forever exploring the possibilities of building better, cleverer, more beautifully, Copenhagen-based 3XN Studio are the ones who shaped this project design in accordance with UN wishes for an iconic building which expresses the organization’s values and authority. This new Head Office brings together the various agencies and functions of the United Nations regional offices in Copenhagen, representing an innovative project construction expressing sustainability at all levels.
The independent, efficient and professional nature of each UN unit is reflected in the building’s design, a design that has to fulfill the most stringent requirements, providing a protected and safe environment – high security and accessibility standards -while at the same time appearing open and accommodating to the city. Inside the building, all spaces will be designed in such a manner to offer visual and physical connections across floors and units, allowing knowledge sharing and interaction as well as individual immersion. Among many sustainable features that Un City’s inside daily life is improved, it’s an overall health policy which includes green recreational areas.
As a green building, UN City is registered with the LEED sustainability ratings system with the certification goal of minimum LEED® Gold. Besides the fact that it will be an energy efficient building that uses less than 50 kWh. per m2 per year for heating, cooling, lighting, ventilation and so on, it will have a large photovoltaic system on the roof and cooling will occur in sea water.
Photos: © 3XN.
Project details:
Address: Marmormolen, 2100 Copenhagen OE
Client: By og Havn A/S
Area: 28.000 m2 and 5000 m2 basement
Completion: 2013
3XN Team: Kim Herforth Nielsen, Bo Boje Larsen, Gry Kjær, Christian Wamberg, Peter Feltendal, Rune Bech, Eva Hviid-Nielsen, Laila Fyhn Feldthaus, Thomas Lykke Nielsen, Pernille Uglvig Jessen, Umut Üsüdür
Engineer: Orbicon / Leif Hansen A/S
Landscape Architect: Schønherr KS
Awards: ”GreenBuilding Award”, European Commission, 2012.
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