Solar Power, Sea-Water Heating and a New 'Bridge' for Copenhagen

Steven Holl's iconic solar powered towers will form a new gateway for Copenhagen image

Steven Holl Architects have made our pages before – from a huge ‘eco-complex’ in China, to the shiny Whitney Water Purification facility. Now we hear via Inhabitat and The Guardian that the ground-breaking architect has won a competition to design a new gateway for Copenhagen. The result? Towering sky scrapers with some pretty impressive eco-features. Click below the fold for more details from Inhabitat and another stunning photo:

“The LM Project's sustainable solutions are just as exceptional as its aesthetic merits. Both skyscrapers incorporate glass curtain walls shaded by a photovoltaic-laden solar screens. The buildings also feature seawater heating and cooling systems, radiant floor heating, and excellent natural light thanks to the reflective light performance of the solar screens. A true blessing in tall office buildings, each of the towers' floors also contain operable windows that allow for natural ventilation. Finally, the pedestrian bridge is lined with enough wind turbines to light all of the the buildings' public spaces.”

Of course, if one were to seek a practical new bridge for the town, it might be tempting to place it at ground level - rather than halfway up a sky-scraper. But maybe a practical bridge was not the central focus of the competition. Either way, it's great to see sustainability being placed at the core of such iconic projects, even in troubled times. Let's just hope these technological solutions make their way into everyday architecture too.

Inhabitat via The Guardian

Solar power and wind turbines are just some of the sustainability features in Steven Holl's new towers image