Living Places Copehagen

The building industry accounts for one-third of global emissions. If we’re to build responsibly with the planet and human health in mind, it’s crucial we implement and scale low-carbon alternatives.

In partnership with Artelia and EFFEKT, we set out to create an affordable housing typology with an ultra-low carbon footprint. The result is Living Places – an experimental living environment featuring a 3 times lower CO2 footprint and a 3 times better indoor climate than in an average Danish single-family house. Living Places Copenhagen includes seven full-scale prototypes – five open pavilions and two completed houses. Each prototype is curated to show the synergy between how we live in homes and communities.

Built using existing technologies and materials, Living Places demonstrates that we do not have to wait for future technology to build far more sustainable homes that are healthy, affordable and beautiful to live in. We have everything we need – now it’s time to scale.

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Virtual tour

If you can’t make it to Copenhagen to see Living Places in person, use our interactive tool to take a virtual tour. Explore every corner of the seven prototypes from afar and get a deeper insight into the details of the project. With Living Places, we’ve proven that it is possible to build homes with a carbon footprint 3x lower than today’s standard. We hope this inspires others to design homes that are not only affordable, but also scalable and socially responsible.

What does construction look like for the future?

In cooperation with Architects not Architecture, we invited architects to a discussion with Christine Müller in Feldkirch. Florian Nagler, Barbara Buser, Anja and Markus Innauer and Dietmar Eberle shared their views and visions on the topic of "Building for the Future" with us. As location we found a place for art and culture with an extraordinary outdoor ambience, the “Altes Hallenbad”.

Florian Nagler

Florian Nagler Architekten
Munich, Germany

Barbara Buser

Baubüro in situ
Basel, Switzerland
 

Anja und Markus Innauer

NONA & Innauer Matt Dornbirn & Bezau, Austria

Dietmar Eberle

Baumschlager Eberle Architekten, Lustenau, Austria

The Architects not Architecture format is known for introducing the people behind the facades of their offices. What moves them, what appeals to them and what path have they already travelled? After intensive research, Christine Müller, freelance journalist and architecture journalist, asked targeted questions to different people and yet there was a common core message: "We should all take a step back and question what we are used to."

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Now is the time for positive change

How can buildings influence the well-being of people and planet? The "Build for Life" concept created as part of our sustainability strategy. is a vision of how healthy buildings can be built for people and the planet. It can serve as a compass for designers, urban planners, as well as construction professionals, and includes suggestions for addressing some of the most pressing issues we face. These include among other things:

  • Environment: Only by using sustainable materials, renewable energies and focusing on the life cycle assessment can we meet the demand for more living space without depleting the earth's resources.

  • Health: If the principles for a healthy and pleasant indoor climate will be observed and high-quality materials are used, we can build healthier buildings.

  • Affordability: If building design in design, with community living and new business models focuses on affordability, we can create housing for the people who benefit most.

The "Build for Life" compass model is intended to control construction and development processes and enable cross-industry collaboration in a simple, open framework for the development and redesign of buildings for the future. It was developed in collaboration with EFFEKT architects, Artelia engineers and LeaderLab.



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