EFFEKT is pleased to present our proposal for the Metroselskabet Sustainable Ideas for CPH Metro competition which allowed us to translate our carbon research and sustainable design thinking into a new vision and standard for transportation and mobility in the future.
When asked to envision a more sustainable future metro station, we built on the functional design and pragmatism of the existing metro to include sustainable and experiential design strategies – so that the metro of the future would be both resources conscious and human-centric.
We proposed a sustainability strategy that is primarily concerned with material optimization. Through strategic material reduction, we minimized the impact of surface materials in the metro station resulting in an 81% reduction of CO2 emissions compared to the current day metro station. By removing redundant materials from the metro’s design, we expose an engineering marvel and highlight the craftsmanship of the concrete structure – resulting in a spacious and ethereal room featuring an expansive skylight maximizes the amount of daylight let into the space.
Low-carbon materials are applied only where necessary to maintain optimal levels of acoustics, lighting and wayfinding. Surfaces with which people interact the most such as floors and handrails are constructed of conventional, quality surfaces that connect the metro to the city landscape and Danish design heritage. The result of these interventions is a timeless station design that connects to the past, while pointing to the future.
With this proposal, we aimed to show that the future metro does not need to be a complex response to the demands of our time, but that through straightforward, common sense design interventions the metro station can have a reduced environmental impact, while being more generous to the people that pass through.
Congratulations to the JAJA Architects team for their winning proposal, and to team 3XN/GXN and team Snøhetta for their outstanding entries.
The four entries are on display at Copenhagen City Hall until December 12th, and online here.