Winner of the idea competition for future climate-friendly metro stations has been announced
The Metroselskabet asked four recognised architectural firms this question in the form of the ideas competition ‘Future architectural expression in a more climate-friendly Metro’. The task was to rethink a metro station with climate friendliness in the construction and operational phases, as well as the experience of safety and an efficient passenger flow as the key considerations.
And it was JAJA Architects who won the award. The winners were announced at an event on 29 November at the Danish Architecture Center in BLOX by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Metroselskabet Carsten Riis, and then celebrated by participants from the City of Copenhagen, the Ministry of Transport, the Danish Architecture Center and the Danish Association of Architects and Designers.
Facts about the idea competition
- The Metroselskabet's competition gives The Company the opportunity to work with all four participants' proposals in future work with aesthetics and sustainability in the design of public-facing surfaces at future metro stations.
- During the competition, the participants had to explain their work with Metroselskabet's climate calculation model, so that all proposals can help reduce the climate footprint in future construction and operation and contribute to creating a more sustainable city.
- The professional judging panel consisted of specialists from Metroselskabet with advice from two external professional judges, Jan Schipull Kauschen, Architect MAA, Tegnestuen Vandkunsten and Signe Kongebro, Architect MAA, Henning Larsen Architects.
Criteria for the idea competition
- The four participants' proposals were assessed based on the criteria set out in the competition programme:
- That the aesthetics and architectural quality of the proposal is perceived as safe and welcoming at all times of the day.
- That the aesthetics and architectural quality of the proposal shows a new approach to the Copenhagen Metro and that the proposal also fulfils the desire for an overall common design identity with the existing Metro stations.
- That the proposal supports a clear, simple and understandable flow at the station.
- Reduction of the CO2 footprint of the materials on the station surface compared to baseline in a life cycle perspective over the entire design life of the station.
Halving the Metro's carbon footprint
The idea competition for ‘Future architectural expression in a more climate-friendly Metro’ is part of the Metroselskabet's Innovation Programme, which aims to continuously reduce the Company's carbon footprint through a number of projects.
‘We have a clear ambition to halve the climate footprint from the construction of new Metro projects compared to the current Metro - and we are therefore looking at all options to achieve this goal. In this idea competition, we have received four innovative proposals, and we will take ideas from all four proposals into account in our further work. Compared to other means of transport, the Metro is a climate-friendly means of transport as it is electrically powered, has a high utilisation rate with many passengers every day and is designed with a minimum lifespan of 100 years. But we must also recognise that the Metro also has a negative climate footprint, especially from the materials and processes used to build the new Metro,’ says Carsten Riis, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Metroselskabet.
The four companies in the architectural competition were JAJA Architects, 3XN/GXN, EFFEKT Architects and Snøhetta.
See all four architectural firms' proposals at Copenhagen City Hall
Until 12 December, it is possible to see the posters from all four competitors' proposals in the City Hall Hall Hall at Copenhagen City Hall. Admission to the City Hall and City Hall Hall Hall is free.
The Metroselskabet's panel of judges was assisted in the competition by the two professional judges Jan Schipull Kauschen from Tegnestuen Vandkunsten and Signe Kongebro from Henning Larsen Architects.
One of the reasons the judges gave for the winning proposal was that it introduces a new aesthetic for the stations, where sustainability is a key design element in itself. Among other things, the proposal is characterised by a high potential for CO2 reduction in the construction phase by, for example, reducing materials for wall cladding, introducing a ‘Metro tile’ produced using biotechnology, and developing moulds for concrete structures that can be reused and included as part of the architecture of the station space.
‘We are extremely proud and happy! Our proposal is an expression of the holistic approach to sustainability in construction that we try to promote in all our projects and collaborations. The individual parts are always part of a bigger picture and we need to work at all scales and levels to achieve our goals. It's about doing as little as possible and making the most of what is,’ says Kathrin Susanna Gimmel, partner and architect at JAJA Architects.
