Copenhagen’s first all-timber neighbourhood praised for sustainable design
TenderStream member Henning Larsen has won the urban design category in Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards. The firm's Fælledby project, set to become Copenhagen’s first all-timber neighbourhood, was singled out for its sustainable and accessible design. As a media brand with an editorial focus on innovation, the Fast Company runs the awards to honour businesses and organisations driving change in the world. This year, more than 3,000 entries were submitted, with the 34 winners representing the kind of thinking that the award organisers hope will lead to a better future.
The Fælledby project was praised by the awards team for showing what is possible when designers move away from the use of carbon-heavy construction materials such as steel and concrete. Building and construction are responsible for 40% of global carbon emissions, but the use of timber can mitigate this. One cubic meter of wood stores about 1 ton of carbon—about as much CO2 as is emitted by a 3,000-mile car ride.
Situated just beyond the city centre, the neighbourhood will merge traditional Danish urban and rural typologies. A former junkyard site will be transformed into a model for sustainable living, balancing human priorities with a strong commitment to the natural surroundings. Fælledby will grow outward from three distinct "cores" that together frame the district at large. This diffuse approach will maximize access to nature for residents and will allow the landscape to be organically integrated into the site.
Signe Kongebro, Global Design Director, Urbanism and Landscape & Partner at Henning Larsen, stated: “Fælledby represents a paradigm shift; we are collectively at the tipping point of a timber revolution. It looks the way the future will look—green, humanist, sustainable, and accessible.”
Lucy Nordberg
TenderStream Head of Research
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