Lisbjerg Hill is a social housing complex in a suburb of Aarhus with a prefabricated, flexible, and reversible hybrid wood construction system. The project was designed to exemplify a new holistic approach for a better building practice, encompassing a wide range of sustainability parameters (energy, carbon footprint, durability, community building). 

A mixed development of 400 homes consisting of family homes, co-living, homes for the elderly, green houses, provision for food production, restaurants and jobs for 100 people. The project claims to address all 17 of The United Nations Sustainable Development goals through its design strategies and is concerned with sustainability in a very broad sense, from the construction of the place to how the scheme will perform and provide for residents in the future. The project is the result of an open international competition won by Lendager in 2017 and is currently in its first phase of construction. 

The Enterprise centre is a university building that aims to encourage new sustainable businesses coming out of its academic research programme; the building itself is a suitable reflection of the values and ambitions of the university and the activities of The Enterprise centre.

Pikkufinlandia, or Little Finlandia, is a temporary building made to substitute some of the spaces of the actual Finlandia Hall while it undergoes its renovations. Through an innovative use of tree trunks as columns and designing for flexibility and disassembly, the building ensures that it will faithfully serve some of the original hall’s programmes, while also being adaptable enough to find new use on a new site when this function ends with the reopening of Finlandia Hall.

The Margretheholm islet located in Copenhagen served as the residence of the Danish Navy for several centuries. The constable school building, originating from 1939, had remained deserted for many years, displaying significant signs of deterioration. With a relatively small budget, the project was to work with adaptive reuse with the listed structure, transforming it to function as cost-effective student apartments. The adopted approach involved preserving the building’s original and weathered characteristics, with a deliberate emphasis on accentuating the dichotomy between the new additions and the historical elements. The subsequent apartments in the Constable School are an award-winning transformation project prolonging the existing building’s life, embedding the cultural heritage and ensuring carbon stays within the buildings while reducing the need for new materials, resources and waste production from demolition.

The GC Prostho Museum Research Centre is a research facility for a renowned dental health company, GC, that develops dental prostheses. The building functions as a laboratory and office space for 40 personnel but also has an exhibition space on the ground floor for the public. The project is known for its unique wooden structure that originates from the system of Cidori, an old Japanese toy.

The Vindmøllebakken project is an innovative response to the need for socially sustainable living spaces that reduce the carbon footprint and enhance residents' quality of life. It is constructed entirely from wood and features privately owned apartments (40 co-living homes, 10 apartments and 4 townhouses) surrounding a shared 500m2 space with various amenities, including a spacious indoor courtyard. The project is designed to promote a sense of community and encourage social interactions among residents.

Adaptability ensures that infrastructures keep meeting an individual’s, community’s and society’s changing needs over time, but also includes adapting to a changing climate. Adaptability ensures longevity: it reduces risk of premature building obsolesce and demolition when they no longer meet our needs (because they can be adapted) – this is part of circular thinking and climate change mitigation and adaptation approaches. Adaptability reduces transient communities and supports stability, diversity and community cohesion, this is also part of creating inclusive and equitable infrastructures and long-term resilience. As such your project should put adaptability at its core, at micro, meso and macro-scale. A key aspect of this is the creation of different scenarios and personas over time (e.g., scenarios of possible functions, changing climate, modes of use, etc.) and reflect this in at least one alternative layout (i.e. design) scenario for your project. Ensure that your project also enables future adaptability at different scales.

Nestled in the Copenhagen suburbs, Villa Wood stands as a prime illustration of sustainable living and construction practices. Utilizing mass-timber elements (CLT) and guided by digital design, this new housing typology offers a versatile home for families of all kinds, embodying a fresh perspective on architectural innovation.

Embodied carbon is the carbon footprint of material calculated as multiplied embodied energy by the carbon intensity of the fuel used in production and construction. It is important to reduce both operational and embodied carbon in order to achieve zero carbon buildings. To reduce embodied carbon, we can opt for adaptive reuse of a building or use of reclaimed materials, design structures, services and finishes that are long lasting and adaptable, use materials produced and processed with renewable energy, reduce transportation of materials and products, and undertake embodied carbon and lifecycle analysis. We can also consider using timber frames, bricks, recycled bricks, and rammed earth for low embodied carbon structures.

Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) is a methodology used to evaluate the environmental impacts of buildings, products, and materials at all stages of their lifecycle. It looks into resource use, pollution, waste, toxicity to air, water, land, humans and ecology, energy and carbon used for extraction, transportation, and manufacturing, and maintenance, demolition, recycling, and waste disposal. Lifecycle Costing (LCC) is a method to assess the financial impacts of buildings, products and materials at all stages of their lifecycle, including the cost of extraction, transportation, production and construction, maintenance, and replacement. In Denmark, from 2023, LCA will be obligatory for all new buildings with more than 1000 square meters. LCC and Whole Life Costing (WCC) are important to consider the long-term costs and benefits of design decisions, and to take into account the resale value of dismantled building elements for reuse in the future. LCA and LCC are useful to understand and evaluate the impacts of material choices, and make more informed decisions.

Key points in material selection include aligning with the environment, socio-cultural factors, and economics, while also focusing on local availability, craftsmanship, and construction methods. Priority lies in minimizing resource use, opting for non-toxic, low-energy, and low-carbon materials, like carbon-sequestering timber. Attention to human health and regional construction practices is crucial.

Local availability and climatic suitability often dictate material choices. Investigate local artisans, existing solutions, and production processes for improvements.

To prevent over-harvesting, explore nearby renewable material sources with clean extraction. Certified materials, like FSC timber, uphold sustainability.

Reuse is paramount; existing structures and materials should be considered first. Urban mining views buildings as material banks, advocating for reuse and repurposing of anthropogenic materials. To source reused materials, create a harvest map detailing resources from demolished buildings, recycling centers, and local surpluses.

Circular design approaches embrace the principles of circular economy, aiming to minimize waste and optimize resource usage throughout a building's lifecycle. This innovative approach challenges the traditional linear "take-make-dispose" model by promoting a closed-loop system. Architectural circularity involves designing structures that prioritize durability, adaptability, and ease of disassembly. Materials are chosen based on their potential for reuse, recycling, or upcycling, reducing the depletion of virgin resources and curbing environmental impact. They also emphasize modular construction, enabling components to be easily replaced or repurposed as needs evolve. This approach extends the lifespan of buildings, enhances their resilience, and reduces demolition waste.

This talk explores end-of-life scenarios in architectural design, highlighting five essential factors. Firstly, embracing uncertainty in future design involves envisioning diverse scenarios considering climate, life cycles, and technology. Feasible end-of-life plans require mapping structures, recycling options, and user preferences. Climate emergencies call for adaptable solutions with flexibility and reversibility. Secondly, "design for disassembly" advocates creating reusable material banks through systematic dismantling, favouring modularity and prefabrication. Thirdly, recognizing varying element lifespans informs organized design layers for efficient maintenance and disassembly. Fourthly, design principles like modular structures, open systems, and durable joints ensure non-toxic, recyclable materials. Lastly, extending a building's life entails user, maintenance, and disassembly manuals, alongside material passports for informed reuse. Overall, there should be emphasis on foresight, adaptability, and systematic approaches to enhance sustainable architectural practices.

Designing for flexibility in constructing long-lasting buildings aims to create structures that can effectively adapt to changing circumstances, whether due to demographic shifts, climatic variations, or evolving functions. To achieve this, a flexible building should efficiently accommodate diverse scenarios and potential changes without requiring significant alterations. The approach encompasses adaptability, transformability, and convertibility – all contributing to a resilient structure. Designing for climate change adaptation involves incorporating appropriate architectural solutions to withstand disasters and enable swift reconstruction. This necessitates open-ended designs with robust load-bearing capacities, modular expandability, and energy-efficient systems. Moreover, the concept extends to user-centric adaptations, encouraging easy separations and open layouts. Key factors encompass optimal room dimensions, accessible designs, avoidance of built-in fixtures, and effective energy and infrastructure planning. Emphasizing reversible construction and disassembly adds to the approach's sustainability