A holistic approach to health When UN17 Village is complete, it will be a village with full focus on health and sustainability. The vision is to build the framework around Denmark’s healthiest housing which includes both physical, mental and social aspects.
With UN17 Village, NREP has set the ambitious goal of meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development goals in a 35,000 m2 housing project on the tip of Ørestad, in the capital region of Denmark. A recurring theme is the residents’ health, which is incorporated into the total design of the village, down to the smallest detail. The village will be for all ages and their accompanying needs. Certification debut in Denmark
Together with Realdania, we have designed several innovation projects from which we have gained new knowledge about what a healthy indoor climate is comprised of. A former demonstration project, named Healthy Housing, has given us extremely useful insights, but with UN17 we get the opportunity to apply our knowledge at a much larger scale. The project will be both a beacon for healthy housing and sustainable solutions.
The ambition is to have the UN17 Village Well-certified, as the first building on Danish soil. Well is an American certification system that focuses, primarily, on the social dimensions of health and well-being. The Well certification will not be the only seal of approval, as the project will also receive the new DGNB Heart that makes health initiatives part of the, already popular, sustainability certification system. DGNB Heart is an extension of DGNB that MOE has helped develop in collaboration with Green Building Council Denmark with support from Realdania.
As Steffen points out, environmental sustainability is also an important feature of the project. The load-bearing elements are primarily made from timber, and the same holds true for the floor structures made from CLT (Cross Laminated Timber). The choice of materials, and several other factors, lower the CO2 emissions significantly, while another point of focus has been the reuse of rainwater and general water conservation initiatives.
MOE is responsible for all certifications of UN17 Village and, as consulting engineers on the project, we use our unique expertise to help realise the health-focused design. Steffen Maagaard, Corporate Technical Director in Energy Design & Indoor Climate, explains:
Our engineering skills are important when implementing health initiatives to this extent. For this project, extra care has been used on avoiding substances harmful to health in the choice of materials.
THEME
Our role as engineers
DESIGNING SOLUTIONS FOR A POSITIVE LIFE
