The Social Spine

Amager, Copenhagen

GOAL no. 3, 10, 11, 15

Transforming Scandinavia’s largest student residence from a grey concrete line to a green social spine.

Growing demand for urban land means that Copenhagen has lost 14 per cent of the city’s green space since 2011. In addition, high real estate and housing prices are putting Copenhagen’s diversity under pressure. Moreover, multipurpose solutions, flexibility and shared spaces are important measures for countering a future where people rarely mingle with others outside their own social group.

With 12 concrete blocks and about 1,500 residents, Øresundskollegiet (Øresund Student Residence) is Scandinavia’s largest student housing complex. Until recently, it appeared worn-down and outdated, and social life unfolded separately in the individual blocks. Since 2021, the City of Copenhagen has been assigning housing in the complex to at-risk or marginalized young people. This caused the residents’ council to call for new outdoor spaces to support the efforts to include the new residents in the community.

Today, a complete overhaul of the place is underway. The first stage of the project has been completed and consists of a transformation of the 1,470-m2 linear rooftop terrace. The new Social Spine creates a lush natural framework for even more social activities, where old and new residents can meet.

The terrace features greenhouses, study and lunch spaces, a lawn and more than 350 new and re-planted trees, shrubs and creepers. The planting was chosen to provide a lush and species-rich expression and offers habitats and food sources for animals and insects. As a modern tribute to the brutalist concrete identity, the materials of the existing roof terrace were reused and upcycled into new tiles with recycled material from the original concrete stones.

The project shows that the value of green transformation does not depend on a large budget – only on values. It also showcases how green roofs can incorporate climatic, sustainable, biodiverse and social values on every scale.

Project details

Where: Dalslandsgade 8, 2300 Copenhagen S

Completed: 2022

Client: Øresundskollegiet / PAB / FA09

Architects and advisors: SLA, arki lab, AB Clausen (engineer) and Optimus (contractor)