Name: Amager Bakke / CopenHill
Client: Amager Resource Center
Address: Vindmøllevej 6, 2300 København, Denmark
Architect: Bjarke Ingels
Style: Modern / Sustainable
Description: CopenHill, otherwise known as Amager Bakke is a pioneering combined heat-and-power waste-to-energy plant situated on Amager, just outside Copenhagen, Denmark. Designed by architect Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and opened in early 2017, the facility processes up to 400,000 tons of municipal waste annually and provides district heating and electricity for approximately 150,000–550,000 homes depending on demand. The plant exemplifies high environmental performance, featuring filtration systems that reduce sulfur emissions by 99.5% and NOₓ by 95%, among the cleanest in the world, while supporting Copenhagen’s goal to become carbon neutral by 2025.
More than just a power station, Amager Bakke reimagines industrial architecture as sustainable vibrant public infrastructure. Its sloped, 41,000 m² rooftop hosts a year-round ski slope, hiking trails, a tree-lined urban park, and the world’s tallest permanent climbing wall at 80 m, all built atop a functioning power plant. The aluminum-brick façade, conceived as a planter-like structure, supports greenery and diffuses natural light into interior spaces. The plant also incorporates playful elements such as a smokestack engineered to emit vapor rings as symbolic CO₂ markers, reflecting BIG’s vision of “hedonistic sustainability” and transforming what was once hidden into a social landmark for Copenhageners and visitors alike.
Related Buildings:
VM Houses, Copenhagen Denmark
Bosco Verticale, Milan Italy
More Reading:
CopenHill: The Story of BIG’s Iconic Waste-to-Energy Plant
Where Hilltop Sports Meet Clean Energy
Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhill SkiMag