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A metro station built with timber
#city planning

A metro station built with timber

Although this design looks like a utopian dream, in Copenhagen it is set to become reality. Over the coming years, the Danish capital will be introducing timber-hybrid metro stations. The concept by JaJa Architects adopts a holistic approach and takes climate-friendly building below ground.

A few years ago, an announcement by the then Lord Mayor of Copenhagen Sophie Hæstorp Andersen made headlines around the world: The city is going to miss its ambitious target of becoming carbon neutral by 2025. That said, it will only just fall short, with merely two percent to go before it reaches climate neutrality. This is an astonishing achievement, attributable to a courageous transport policy and an early transition to renewable energies. Hardly any other city in the world is adopting climate-friendly mobility with such determination. In 2018, 68 percent of travel by the people in Copenhagen used public transport or bicycles, and this number is increasing all the time.

Metro Copenhagen, timber construction, JaJa Architects
The winning design by JaJa Architects.

The city has a comprehensive mobility concept that is implemented consistently. Electric cars and scooters benefit from free parking in the city, as do hydrogen vehicles. In contrast, the parking fees for petrol and diesel cars are relatively high. The income resulting from these measures is invested in climate-friendly infrastructure such as the excellent network of bicycle routes that makes Copenhagen the world’s most bicycle-friendly city. In addition, the underground train network is being steadily expanded as part of new urban development areas.

Metro stations for the future

In order to make the infrastructure even greener and further reduce emissions, a competition to find the “metro stations of the future” was organized. The winners were local experts JaJa Architects. Their design shows a metro station that combines conventional reinforced concrete with structural timber design.

A visible structure in wood, supporting the station’s roof in combination with the concrete structures, is a choice with lower emissions and a radically architectural concept.

JaJa Architects, architecture firm

Wall panelling, Metro Copenhagen, JaJa Architects, timber construction
The visible timber panelling initially serves as moulding for the concrete structure.
Campaign, Metro Copenhagen, JaJa Architects, timber construction
The metro station is expected to become a place of communication where climate campaigns can raise even greater awareness.

Solid columns and beams made of glued laminated timber dominate the look and feel of the design, and they are new to underground train stations. “A visible structure in wood, supporting the station’s roof in combination with the concrete structures, is a choice with lower emissions and a radically architectural concept,” the architects’ project description reads. “It is visionary but also based on realistic terms and principles.”

This architectural design combines contemporary simplicity with a nod to historical features. The timber arches are not just a design element that is currently enjoying a revival, they also revisit the early days of rail travel and their spacious station concourses. Retro elements such as an analogue station clock underline the slightly nostalgic character of the station architecture.

Cross-section, Metro Copenhagen, JaJa Architects, timber construction
The resource-friendly materials concept is continued above ground.

Less is more

On the one hand, the concept naturally aims to reduce emissions that pollute the environment by choosing specific materials. After all, wood is known to be a carbon sink that locks up CO2 over the long term. But on the other, this approach by JaJa Architects is based on functional reduction, true to the motto “less is more”. The architects explain: “Instead of placing a thin ‘green’ layer on concrete, we propose consistent material optimization that highlights the structure in wood, using, and reusing, biomaterials.”

Instead of placing a thin ‘green’ layer on concrete, we propose consistent material optimization that highlights the structure in wood, using, and reusing, biomaterials.

JaJa Architects, architecture firm

Their design envisages concrete and timber walls with the same structure. Timber moulding used for creating the shape of the concrete surface will subsequently become wall panelling. This optimizes the entire construction process, and also reduces waste.

M pavilions, Metro Copenhagen, JaJa Architects, timber construction
At street level, the multifunctional M pavilions are energizing and turn the metro station into a mobility hub.

Mushrooms above the metro

Apart from reducing material needs, these underground train stations are expected to become more than just places that transport people from A to B. The architects envisage the metro of the future as a mobility hub that offers new solutions for transportation in a sophisticated concept.

Above the metro stations, mushroom-shaped wooden pavilions are designed to encourage interaction and activity. These “M pavilions” – inspired by Copenhagen’s historic telephone kiosks – can accommodate cafés, parcel centres, shared bikes and cycle parking. This will enable them to help close the final gaps in the transport infrastructure, also referred to as the first and last mile problem. In other words, they will help people who use public transport to travel in comfort to and from their homes.

As climate-friendly strategies only really get off the ground if they are adopted by large sections of the population, future plans call for underground train stations to become places that make an increasing contribution towards raising climate awareness.

Timber design, Metro Copenhagen, JaJa Architects, timber construction
The timber arches evoke station concourses of days gone by.

“Our concept not only focuses on reducing CO2 emissions but also seeks to connect the metro to the overall mobility strategy and engage the thousands of daily passengers,” the project description reads.

Cinema-sized screens, posters flanking escalators and also an app will share a common message for travellers: net zero is a goal that can only be achieved if we all pull together as a team.

Text: Gertraud Gerst
Translation: Rosemary Bridger-Lippe
Visualizations: JaJa Architects

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Forest bathing on your doorstep

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A design hotel on a bunker
A design hotel on a bunker

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The tessellated pavilion

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The house made by 3D printers

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Origami in wood

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#greenbuilding
“Climate change changes everything”

Sustainability is a top priority for the Powerhouse Company. In an interview, partner Stefan Prins explains why this means more than just a careful choice of materials and energy efficiency, and how essential it is to consider all the changes brought about by climate change when building.

A timber high-rise goes into production
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A timber high-rise goes into production

The Life Cycle Tower One was the first timber high-rise in Austria and the prototype for a new type of serial construction. CREE founder Hubert Rhomberg explains the green building concept and why we have to learn to think in lifecycles.

Timber housing on a modest budget
#greenbuilding
Timber housing on a modest budget

Most people looking for a new home with a sustainable design need to have deep pockets. Rotterdam’s Pendrecht district aims to buck this trend courtesy of timber building Valckensteyn, the brainchild of the architects at Powerhouse Company.

All in the name
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All in the name

In Düsseldorf, The Cradle is gradually taking shape. The timber hybrid office building is being constructed according to circular economy principles, and these will also govern its future use.

Twin peaks for the Netherlands
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Twin peaks for the Netherlands

The Dutch city of Eindhoven will soon be home to the world’s highest “plyscraper”. The two towers – 100 and 130 metres high and known as the Dutch Mountains – are to set new standards in high-rise timber construction.

New Kiez on the Block
#city planning
New Kiez on the Block

An entire residential complex in Berlin-Kreuzberg is to be built out of timber – vertically. With a planned height of almost 100 metres, WoHo is set to be Germany’s tallest timber building.

Crowned with timber
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Crowned with timber

A mixed-use project in Sweden’s Gothenburg is being crowned by star architect Dorte Mandrup. The jewel in this crown is its use of timber. The new eco construction is intended to become an icon in sustainable urban architecture.

Feel-good furniture
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Feel-good furniture

Designed by US architect David Rockwell, built according to WELL Building Standard principles. The Sage Collection by British furniture maker Benchmark is good for humans and the environment.

Plyscraper on Lake Geneva
#city planning
Plyscraper on Lake Geneva

Swiss urban planning combines prominent architecture with ecological timber construction. Lausanne’s Tilia Tower is setting a high standard in future-proof urban development.

A district made of wood
#city planning
A district made of wood

Munich’s Prinz-Eugen-Park is the site of the largest integrated timber settlement in Germany. And that’s not all – the city planners have even more in the pipeline.

Gare Maritime restored in timber splendour
#greenbuilding
Gare Maritime restored in timber splendour

Once Europe’s largest freight station, Brussels’ monumental Gare Maritime is now the largest European CLT project. Neutelings Riedijk Architects have transformed the historic structure into a covered district, giving it a sustainable new lease of life using cross-laminated timber.

Sydney hosts a timber innovation
#greenbuilding
Sydney hosts a timber innovation

The plans just unveiled for the new, 180-metre-high timber tower designed for the Sydney-based software giant Atlassian represent a milestone in environmentally friendly construction using this renewable raw material.

Baptism of fire
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Baptism of fire

Charred is the new black. An ancient Japanese technique for conserving wood is all the rage in contemporary architecture. As well as looking sophisticated, this building material scores top marks when it comes to sustainability.