The architect’s own house

Sydhavnen, Copenhagen

GOAL no. 12

In the future, our homes and buildings need to take up less room. However, a small house can still contain great qualities.

Danish dwellings are getting bigger. On average, each Dane has 53 m2 at their disposal, compared to 43 m2 in 1981. This development is driven by increased wealth and low interest rates, among other factors, along with a rise in the number of single-person households – an unsustainable trend in a world where a growing population will have to share diminishing resources.

Architect Peter Kjær’s own home is located in Havebyen Mozart (the Mozart Garden Town), a small suburban neighbourhood where small houses are connected by narrow streets and paths, lots of green space and local community. The house, measuring 127 m2, is home to a family of five. The ground plan is T-shaped, with a stem containing four rooms and two bathrooms, a connecting building with the entrance and kitchen and a communal room in a garden pavilion that opens on three sides. The layout has created two intimate gardens.

To use the plot efficiently, the house has a simple hip roof which produces spacious rooms that capture the light at a high point – a key feature during the dark Danish winter months, as the neighbouring houses are quite close. The roof above the living room is topped by a ‘light box’ with glass towards all four corners of the world, while the bedrooms and bathrooms have skylights that open and let the light pour over the walls and ceiling.

The construction and interiors range from noble materials, such as oak used for the rafters, window frames and kitchen cabinet doors, to rugged elements, such as polished concrete slab and concrete garden tiles, and simple elements, such as white-painted PSE wall boards (planks planed on one side only). The exterior walls are kept as thin as possible and clad in Kebony (eco-friendly impregnated pinewood).

The family has about half as much space as the Danish average. Thus, this project demonstrates how it is possible to make top-quality dwellings with less room per person.

Project details

Where: HF Havebyen Mozart 74, 2450 Copenhagen SV

Completed: 2017

Client and architect: Peter Kjær

Kalvebod Fælled School Ørestad, Copenhagen

GOAL no. 4, 7, 11, 13

Sport and nature are closely incorporated into the architecture of this circular school which is open to the public outside school hours.

The foundation of quality education is laid early in life and forms the basis of quality of life and sustainable development. By inspiring creativity, concentration and physical activity, architecture can promote learning, health and well-being for schoolchildren, teachers and the local community.

The circular school, situated at the boundary between the city and the Kalvebod Fælled nature reserve, invites locals to use both the indoor and outdoor facilities for leisure activities outside school hours. The gym at the heart of the school is visible from all five floors, and the outdoor playground merges with the surrounding green space to form an active landscape open to the entire city.

The dynamic school architecture offers differentiated spatial experiences and room for breaks, the students’ individual needs and varied educational approaches. Putting the gym and the school under one roof turned the two originally planned buildings into one. The circular design optimizes the building volume, reducing the exterior wall surface by one third. The energy-efficient school uses only 38 kWh/m2/year, in part thanks to an integrated energy design based on passive design strategies, optimized window space on the facade, and low energy use for ventilation.

In the landscape design, biodiversity, climate adaptation and accessibility go hand in hand. The project is part of an overall strategy for rainwater management in the urban district. Rainwater runoff is gathered in a rain trench and collected and delayed in a canal along with the rest of the surface water from the area. The planting was inspired by the surrounding nature and includes 520 trees on the school grounds.

This project demonstrates how energy awareness, climate adaptation, biodiversity and accessibility can be combined with an open, robust and inspiring learning environment with physical activity at its heart.

Project details

Where: Else Alfelts Vej 2, 2300 Copenhagen S

Completed: 2018

Client: City of Copenhagen/ Copenhagen Properties

Architects and advisors: Lundgaard & Tranberg Architects, BOGL (landscape), Jørgen Nielsen Rådgivende Ingeniører (construction and fire), Danish Energy Management (DEM), Gade & Mortensen Akustik A/S (acoustics)

Remiseparken Amager, Copenhagen

GOAL no. 10, 11, 13, 15

One of Copenhagen’s most challenged residential areas has a new transformed green park with an alder grove, rainwater runoff solutions and a skate track that attracts visitors from all over the city.

Cities the world over have areas that are avoided and perceived as unsafe, and many cities also face growing social inequality. Moreover, dense cities with impermeable paved surfaces have problems with rainwater that cannot soak into the ground.

The non-profit housing development Urbanplanen in Copenhagen has a green secret. Cherry, plum, hazel and birch grow in between housing blocks, and farm animals thrive on the staffed playground Bonderen (The Farm). The park used to be perceived as an unsafe area, but today, it is pleasant and lively and an attractive destination for the residents and the rest of the city.

The main path adds cohesion and the zigzagging path invite visitors to explore. The newly planted Elleskoven (Alder Grove) with six varieties of alders is located in the low-lying part of the park. The grove adds a new, intimate green space that also serves as a rainwater retention basin. Footbridges and small plateaus make it possible to tour the grove even when it is flooded after heavy rainfall.

The activity landscape features play areas with baby swings, a wading pool, slides, playing fields, a toboggan slope, a skate and scooter track, a climbing sculpture, a minigolf course and an adventure playground. Next to the kitchen garden there are newly planted fruit trees and an outdoor kitchen. A large lawn provides a setting for festivals or other public events.

This project demonstrates that it is possible to transform an uninviting area into a safe, beautiful, green urban space that helps to climate-proof a large area and provides room for new communities, physical activity and nature experiences.

Project details

Where: Peder Lykkes Vej 71, 2300 Copenhagen S

Completed: 2020

Client: Copenhagen Municipality

Architects and advisors: BOGL (landscape), Rambøll (engineering), SNE Architects (skate), Pelcon (concrete consultant), Beatrice Hansson (sculpture) and Victor Ash (mural)