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2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introduction 2 Literature Review 3 Research Methods 3.1. Case Studies 3.1.1. Copenhill 3.1.1.1. Introduction 3.1.1.2. Social Sustainability 3.1.1.3. Environmental Sustainability 3.1.2. VIA 57 West 3.1.2.1 Introduction 3.1.2.2 Social Sustainability 3.3.2.3 Environmental Sustainability 3.1.3 8 Tallet 3.1.2.1 Introduction 3.1.2.2 Social Sustainability 3.1.2.3 Environmental Sustainability 3.2. Interview 4 Conclusion 5 References 6 Appendix
Literature Review –“All of the goals that have been established for the summit were likely missed and the general discussion about sustainability was drowning in this sort of general misconception that sustainability is a question of, how much of our existing quality of life we prepared to sacrifice in order to afford being sustainable.” Bjarke Ingels on Copenhagen Summit 2009. Ingels believes that one of the main sources of climate change comes from the built environment industry. He believes that with the invention of modernism and building services like air conditioning and heating systems made us humans’ dependant on these building service systems. He talks about how with the invention of air conditioning and heating made us rely on the thickness of the wall, with the invention of electric lights made us move away from Daylight and with the incorporation of mechanical ventilation, it made us independent of opening windows to allow fresh air to come in. This claim was solidified when he further explained that modern architecture turned into a box, while olden architecture was cleverly and empirically evolved from considering these environmental factors.
3 1 Introduction Bjarke Ingels Group is a Copenhagen based firm consisting of architects, urbanists, landscape designers, interior, and product designers. They believe in solving today’s challenges architecture has potential in profiting from exploring the field, which is rather largely unexplored They use a method of critically analysing how modern life is largely adapting and progressing. They believe in a functional ideal architecture that avoids both constraining practicality of dull blocks as well as the naive idealistic aspirations of digital formalism. (BIG | Bjarke Ingels Group, 2021) Architects around the world are recognised because of their design ideology however, only a few architects have a design ideology that incorporates the wellbeing of the users and the environmental issues of today. However, Bjarke Ingels has incorporated a mix of data driven decisions adding, fun, sustainability, and emotions to his design manifesto. Bjarke has been said to be the 21st century’s most popular modern architect in the world. Bjarke has accumulated over 66 awards in his career and has also worked on multiple exhibitions. From his first project Bjarke has always considered sustainability as a design challenge (Ingels, 2011). Operating since 2006, Bjarke Ingels Architects have gone from 5 creative partners to 500 individual designers. The Bjarke Ingels Group first came into the spotlight when they designed the Danish World Expo 2010 Pavilion Shanghai. From their first project called “Mountain Dwellings” to their latest one “Barcelona Institute of Science & Technology”. Through their numerous years of being active Bjarke Ingels has amass over 63 awards. The Bjarke Ingels Group have proposed their own unique idea of sustainable architecture which is known as ‘hedonistic sustainability’ as an answer to the requirement and need for ecologically aware and sustainable lifestyle through a variety of perceptions. They claim that their idea of sustainability improves the lifestyle of the user or the resident that resides within the Westructure.willbe selecting three projects from Bjarke Ingels and will be analysing these projects in terms of their claims of hedonistic sustainability. These projects will be tested in terms of two categories, i.e., Social Sustainability & Environmental Sustainability.
The two criteria’s will be tested through analysing the architectural drawings accessible and surveys from residents and users of three buildings in question. Research concerning this specific topic testing Bjarke’s version of sustainability hasn’t been ventured into yet. Therefore, there is a lack of information regarding this topic. The information about the projects is from the official website of the architect, therefore, there may be some information that has been window dressed. Additionally, Hedonistic Sustainability does not have a set definition, but we will be referring to how Hedonistic sustainability has been described.
Although the Copen Hill has amassed multiple awards, Copen hill is now facing a total reinstallation, this was done in light of the safety concerns raised by a foundation in regard to the deterioration of the ski slope. (Niland, 2021)
"The stakes are high: if the foundation wins the case or a settlement is reached, the ski slope can reopen in 2024, but if it loses the case, the facility must close permanently," reported The Copenhagen Post.
Research Method –
Qualitative analysis is used throughout this dissertation. An interview was conducted with a client side architect who worked closely with Bjarke Ingels Group during the design process. Additionally, a total of 41 surveys were sent out to the users of these buildings asking them of queries relating to what Hedonistic Sustainability is described as and whether or not these qualities are present in the buildings designed by Bjarke Ingels Group Architects Only 5 people filled out the survey.
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Copen Hill "ski plant" won an international competition in 2011, with the building breaking ground two years later.
Copen hill provides commercial & social services such as a bar, a viewpoint, and an artificial hiking path.
Hedonistic sustainability is a mix of sustainable ideas, fun, and community (Sudradjat, 2020). A common misconception with the term sustainability in the field of architecture is that people need to sacrifice a chunk of their lifestyle to attain sustainability.
Copen hill A waste to energy power facility in Copenhagen, Denmark, that has been dubbed the "cleanest waste to energy power plant in the world", has been finished and is topped by an artificial ski slope that is open all year. (Crook, 2021) Copen Hill, also known as Imager Bakke, is a power plant situated on an industrial beachfront that is capable of turning 440,000 tons of garbage into clean energy per year. (CopenHill: Hedonistic Sustainability | urbanNext, 2021)
In order to serve as public infrastructure, it was designed by Bjarke Ingels Group to have tree lined hiking routes and ski slopes on its roof, as well as the "tallest artificial climbing wall in the world" on its exterior. The design for the 41,0000 square metre
Moreover, the external analysis of these projects is biased to some degree as the analysis done has been conducted by researchers from other countries who have not been on site, therefore, to obtain the most accurate results the research includes people and users of these particular buildings to get the most accurate results possible.
Bjarke believes sustainability shouldn’t be a sort of a moral sacrifice or a philanthropical cause, it needs to be a design challenge. ‘Hedonistic Sustainability’ is a term coined by Bjarke in which he explains that hedonistic sustainability is a concept where sustainable buildings and cities could increase the quality of life of the users and people around the space (Ingels, 2011)
Copen hill is distinguished by its wedge-shaped form, sloped green roof and blocky facade composed of 1.2-metre-tall and 3.3metre wide aluminium bricks that are stacked like gigantic bricks. (Crook, 2021)
Environmental Sustainability
Copenhill is constructed completely of steel frames, while only the roof is made by a series of sloping concrete slabs. The External façade of the Copenhill is clad with blocks of aluminium which are 3.3 m x 1.2 m, these aluminium “bricks are alternately stacked to create an alternating pattern, which then creates spaces that are then installed with glazing or ventilation Beinglouvres.a waste to energy power plant, the Copenhill within the lavish exterior lies 24 hours operating machine which consist of furnaces, steam and turbines that convert 440,000 tons of waste a year, which is enough clean energy to power 150,000 homes with electricity and heating. (CopenHill: Hedonistic Sustainability | urbanNext, 2021)
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Two similar furnaces treat between 25 and 35 tonnes of garbage each hour. The combustion grate is made up of 24 rows of perforated metal sheets. The furnaces operate at temperatures ranging from 950 to 1,100°C. The garbage is incinerated for 1.5 2 hours. 4 Boilers
Figure 1 Copenhill plant flow diagram. Image: ARC (Amager Resource Center). 1. Waste reception 2. Waste silo 3. Furnace systems 4. Boilers 5. Turbine and heat exchangers 6. Flue gas cleaning 7. Slag and fly ash 8. Water treatment 9. Operation. 3 Furnace System
The two boilers are made out of a container with multiple close fitting tubes that have high pressure water running through it. At 70 bar and 440°C, the pumps sustain heat and pressure. Each boiler can generate 137 tons of steam every 60 minute s. The steam turbine is fed by steam from both boilers. The heat from the hot smoke coming from the furnace is likewise transferred by the plant. High pressure steam contributes for 90% of the waste's energy.
The two furnaces create up to 13m3 of wastewater/hour, including an initial pH ranging from 0.5 to 2.5. For cleansing and neutralizing wastewater, a four stage procedure is used. Sc rubbing, settling tanks, a filter press, sand filters, ammonia strippers, carbon filtering, and ion exchange are among the steps. Scrubbing is required in the last phase to remove any leftover organic compounds and minerals. (W, 2021)
Scrap is produced as a by prod uct of the refining process (bottom ash). Slag is the equal to 17 20% of garbage burnt. Scrap is made up of gravel, sand, ash, metals, and other non combustible elements. They enable the waste to develop for 3 4 months to guarantee that heavy metals bond t o the slag and are not leached. Metals are then extracted and recycled. The gravel found in slag is utilized in building and construction. The recovered fly ash is sold as a lime alternative. This fly ash by product, similar to cement, is utilized to replicate the environment of a decommissioned stone quarry.
7. Slag and Fly Ash
ii. Social Sustainability Site Plan Analysis
Since Copen hill is a waste to energy power plant, the structure is more oriented towards social gatherings and experience. The users described the power plant as a secure and safe space where people would get together and interact. Additionally, there is a Ski centre on the top accompanied by a bar which implies that the commercial service of this project is suitable. Appendix
8. Water Treatment
Each furnace connection is linked to its own smoke scrubbing system. An electrical filtration, a catalyser, three purifiers, and a dust filter are included in these smoke scrubbing machines. Dust, NOx, HCl, mercury, SO2, steam, as well as any dust residues in the smoke are removed progressively. Prior to getting discharged via the chimney, the cleansed smoke is constantly checked.
6 5 Turbine and Heat Exchangers
6. Flue Gas Cleaning
Up to 63 MWh of power can be generated by the expanding steam. Surplus thermal energy is also sent into the district heating converters, resulting in up to 247 MWh of district heating. Depending on the user 's requirements, the steam can either run via the turbine or skip the turbine and enter the heat exchangers directly.
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Moreover, there is a ski lift that takes the users through the entire power plant, which gives them a view of the inner part of the building. The experience of taking the ski lift from the bottom to the top was described by one surveyor as “Travelling on the ski lift felt like it was a museum on the inside, which is completely hidden in a regular power plant.”
Figure 1 shows the entrance to the apex point of Copenhill where users can access the social spaces such as the bar, a viewpoint and some artificial hiking path. Figures 2 & 3 show the interior view of the Copenhill Sectional Analysis
The sloped green roof is achieved through the careful planning and placing of the machinery, the placing of the machines according to their heights enabled the structure to have the sloped rooftop. (CopenHill: Hedonistic Sustainability | urbanNext, 2021)
Figure 1 Apex Point Copenhill Figure 2 Elevator in Copenhill Figure 3 First Floor
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Where the surveyor replied that Copenhagen is a different city compared to the other cities of the world, he made a remark saying originality is something common in Copenhagen. He later stated that Copen hill was located in an industrial area and all the context around the Copen Hill was built according to its function. He added that Copen hill brought something more, i.e., leisure area in an industrial setting.
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In terms of social interaction and an individual’s mood, Copen hill is said to have “surprised” people and positively affected their mood which was due to the discovery and originality of the structure. Copen hill has been described as a unique project by the Asurveyor.question was asked regarding the originality of the building and the envelope of the structure, how did it feel to be on site?
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VIA occupies almost a whole city block just at the junction of West 57th Street and the West Side Expressway, which provides unobstructed views of the Hudson River Park and the coastline from its perch. The Durst Organization contracted the BIG Architects to design a building for the site in the spring of 2010.
Building construction is projected to be finished by the end of the year, making the 32 story skyscraper available to residents from May 2016. Earlier this year, as part of its 2016 Tall Buildings Award, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) named VI the best tall building in the Americas. (2021)
VIA 57 West
VIA 57 West is a residential building situated at 625 West 57th Street between 11th and 12th Avenues in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City. It is part of the VIA 57 West condominium complex. The pyramid shaped tower block, sometimes known as a "tetrahedron," was designed by the Danish architectural company Bjarke Ingels Group and is 467 feet tall, with 35 storeys. (Whelan, 2021)
It establishes a new standard for environmental stewardship in both its design and construction. Wherever possible, VIA was built with recycled, renewable, and locally obtained materials; the stainless steel facade is 100% recyclable with no down cycling. Low levels of volatile organic compounds contribute to excellent air quality, which is managed by a demand-controlled ventilation system, thanks to the façade.
11 i. Environmental Sustainability
In residential apartments, Energy Star rated appliances and low flow fixtures are installed, and a highly efficient mechanical system employs energy saving measures such as variable frequency drives (VFDs). Energy savings are further aided by high performance glass, occupancy sensors for lighting in common spaces, and a hybrid water source heat pump system. Rainwater may be collected for irrigation and cooling towers thanks to the design. (Baldwin, 2021)
The central courtyard that is used only by the residents of the building, on the inner edge, surrounding the central courtyard is the private balcony space which is based on the European style of architecture. (VIA 57 West | urbanNext, 2021)
Additionally on the ground level, VIA 57 West also houses a theatre, a day care and vet clinic for pets, a school, and a restaurant.
12 ii. Social Sustainability
The availability of these commercial services on the ground level alone, indicates that indicates that Bjarke Ingels Group designed this building keeping the residential lifestyle in mind.
13 Figure 1 Commercial Services available on the Ground Level Ground Floor Plan
From the Figure 1, We observe that the ground floor is heavily residential with a few spaces for socialisation like the basketball court, the other functions are not labelled, therefore we cannot make any assumptions on their functions, but they are open empty spaces which might imply that these spaces are for cafes and the commercial services.
Figure 2 Via 57 West 2nd Floor Plan
The participants were then asked a question regarding the social spaces throughout the VIA 57 West, the participants replied saying that there were large lounge spaces for the residents along with a kitchen and there was also a coffee shop on the first
Figure 4 Via 57 West 4th Floor Plan On the 4th floor, the building introduces the central courtyard that contains an array of landscaping features and social spaces. This central courtyard serves as a social space for all the buildings residents and is the main feature of this building. The open courtyard is a wise decision, moreover, placing the courtyard as a central function within the building makes this skyscraper Theunique.courtyard is accessible to all the residents, furthermore, it promotes an active lifestyle and healthy socialisation of all the residents of the building.
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A survey was sent out to the residents and users of this building questioning the conditions of the building that supposedly make it Hedonistically sustainable. Firstly, they were asked whether if commercial services were provided within the site of the building, the surveyor replied with a no, however in our ground floor observation through the map we have established that there are a variety of services available, this may be due to the services not yet being open or the services being closed due to Covid 19. Next, the participants were asked about the central courtyard within VIA 57 West, they replied that the courtyard does not act as a social space, probably because of it being closed during the winter season, which would imply that the central courtyard is closed for about 3 months out of 12.
On the Second floor plan, the façade intrudes further into the building, but it maintains the same floor functions.
The materials used in the construction of this structure consisted mostly of Aluminium plate façade, precast concrete blocks and steel framing while maintaining a wood flooring in between its green roofs. The residential zone of the building is placed on the top while the commercial spaces take the bottom floors, this ensures optimum views, sunlight and fresh air that might contribute to the reduction of usage or dependency towards mechanical cooling/heating and lighting. Additionally, there is a rainwater collection system within the building and is collected in a storm water management system. (Gonchar, 2021) Social Sustainability
Resulting in 8 Tallets unique variety in its structural components that consist of precast concrete. The best element of 8 house is its continuous strip of ramp that runs across the whole building providing fresh air and increasing natural ventilation. The green roof on the structure is a very viable decision on Bjarke Ingels part as green roof provide a certain level of shading, reduce the temperature within the surrounding of the space, the use of a green roof can reduce or moderate the heat island effect where the surfaces experience higher temperatures than the outlying areas. (8 House (8 Tallet) Greenroofs.com, 2021)
15 floor along with a presence of a gym, a swimming pool, and workspaces all within the building. These indicators show us that the VIA 57 West is socially sustainable but factors like the central courtyard, which is the focal point of the project or in the words of Bjarke Ingels and his team, the gift. 8 House –8 House is located on the outskirts of Copenhagen, at the southern edge of the developing neighbourhood of Orestad Copenhagen, on the outskirts of the city. In this region of broad open fields and pastureland, the 8 House was to be the first of a series of structures that would spur growth in the community. (Minner, 2021)
The strongest feature of this design is its unique combination of activities and people that transforms it into a miniature city. the unconventional design facilitates a very intimate environment to its users, consisting of multiple functions ranging from residential units as mentioned above to a commercial space and a green roof. a result, the 8 House has successfully achieved a certain level of success, The residential units are available in a variety of sizes, tenancy and pricing designed to accommodate a subset of the area. In addition to residential units, the building also facilitates spaces for offices, commercial services and 2 interlocked landscapes on the ground floor. This project houses a very strong economical and sustainable design.
Environmental Sustainability –Ingels recognises his clients budget issues and makes sure they are addressed while he designs, One of BIG’s goals is to make sure that the costs are kept in check to the client’s requirement, saying “We build in the most economical way” and “The money is wasted, and the opportunity is lost.” (SAHA, 2021)
Vertical Zoning of the 8 House
The users were asked about 3 separate functions and whether if these functions were provided. The availability of commercial services is strongly evident within the 8 Tallet and are available in a variety of forms to make interactions and socialization of users within the building easier. There are a number of services, for example, a day care, a barber shop, a café, and a flea market all present within the 8 Tallet site. The availability of a café and a flea market strongly suggests that the architects have thoroughly thought about how they could make the people come out of their homes and buy commodities, or students would go to the café to study in group or Pushingindividually.their
Surveys were sent out regarding the social sustainability aspect of Bjarke Ingels Group’s 8 Tallet, the questions asked were based on Bjarke Ingels description of Hedonistic Sustainability.
To achieve a social equilibrium Bjarke Ingels Group initially decided to layer the building in a horizontal form, which was done to resemble a medieval structure which was later turned into a vertical zoning instead.
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Figure 6
This resulted in a better hierarchy of functions, where people on each level of the build had a common background, and thus would be more likely to interact. However, that would separate the people according to their status of society, which might be considered as discrimination.
Lastly, the green roof acts as a common activity and social space for people all around the neighbourhood, this encourages increases interaction between all users, visitors, and residents of the site to form a safer and healthier environment.
narratives further, The Bjarke Ingels Group architects have created spaces for recreational activities and socialization between people at the centre of the 8 tallet for the residents. This social space is shared amongst all floors of the building which would encourage people from different economic background to interact.
There are 2 Landscaped parks on the ground level. Which are surrounded by the functional units of its own floor, these Green Mounds serve as an activity and recreational space for the residents.
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Ground Floor Functional Analysis
The building is planned in a way that it has a considerable number of green spaces which was made for the residents of the building to interact with. From the plan we can establish the presence of commercial services, day care and a café with an addition of playgrounds which increase interaction of people and provide a more comfortable and stress free environment for the residents of the 8 Tallet. Moreover, the bicycle parking implies that the area is highly active.
From the Diagram which refers to the ground floor land use, we can establish that the 8 Tallet has been built keeping in mind the ease of its users, the ground floor largely consists of commercial services with a very high circulation space in which the users are free to move throughout the whole building with ease.
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Sectional Analysis
The section is cut through the 2 blocks of the 8 tallet, where it includes both buildings and the landscape area to give the complete experience.
Through Section B’B, we can see the how the structure almost halves in height and loses the commercial function, moreover section B’B only has one open terrace. But it retains all its residential elements, which indicates that one part of the 8 Tallet is more concentrated towards social interaction, meanwhile the opposite side provides a more private experience.
Section B’A
Section A’A
Section A’A is cut through the apex point of the structure which features all the services provided by the building, from ground floor that has the commercial area, the first floor that features double story flats with balconies, the second to fifth floor that are purely apartments and the penthouse suites that feature a balcony on the opposite side. Through the drawings we can we that the roof balconies aren’t divided per flat but are a continuous strip of walkway that connect each floor of the 8 tallet.
Section A’A
Section B’A
In conclusion we can establish that the 8 Tallet is socially sustainable which is one of the criteria considering hedonistic claim, we have the survey results that were sent to the users of the building, and about 90% of them agree that the building improved their quality of life.
During the interview with Mr. N, Hedonistic sustainability was introduced to him through the definition of Bjarke Ingels. He acknowledged that he did hear about hedonistic sustainability in multiply texts and narratives, but when he was working closely with Bjarke Ingels and they were discussing the design of the clients’ project, Mr. N said that the term Hedonistic Sustainability then discussed about the project he worked on with Bjarke Ingels Group, saying that when they started the project and were discussing the designs, the term “Hedonistic Sustainability” was not mentioned, where Mr. N does not recall hearing it at all. Though the term wasn’t mentioned, Mr. N then said that Bjarke Ingels Group themselves wanted the masterplan project, as it was a mixed use sustainable masterplan model.
Tosustainability.supportthis
3.2. Interview
The development of a walkable community that would act as a Central Business District as well as an urban space. This sort of mixing of two typologies of space resulting in one has been seen time and time again when we look at Bjarke Ingels Group’s projects. With Copenhill being a ski slope as well as a waste to energy power plant and VIA 57 West is a residential building with a courtyard typology.
The masterplan development was to be made in a way where the user could live, work and play, Therefore, Bjarke Ingels Group bought into this project as hedonistic sustainability does all that was required. The client wanted to create a CBD where users could live and work, this kind of micro community is not very common in the Middle East. Mr N then said that he did not remember any mention of Hedonistic Sustainability, but Bjarke Ingels and his team often talked about something that they called “The Gift”, which is essentially introducing something more to the site, as in, Going beyond the clients brief and introducing another element into the design, in this case the masterplan, Which was described by Mr. N as “What is it that the scheme can do that can go above and beyond that and what can it do to give back to?”. The mention of “The Gift” is quite unusual coming from Bjarke, as he hasn’t talked about “The Gift” when he gives his lectures, furthermore “The Gift” hasn’t been mentioned in any of his books. He further elaborated that, the idea of giving back to the community was to be a courtyard. The building was to be a variable heighted structure similar to the Lego Tower by Bjarke Ingels Group. Where the structure consists of high points and low points, where the high points provide a self shading element to the design. Furthermore, Bjarke Ingels and his team added, they would extend the public realm into the project, which would give more value to the project the self shading element would make the project more functional. This would encourage the public to interact in the urban sprawl area, therefore, increasing the idea of a micro community, that would lead people to know and have relationships with each other in the area, that would result in achieving social sustainability.
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“The Gift” in this sense was not only the courtyard that was introduced, but also a farmers’ market that was located on the ground floor. The farmers market occupied the entirety of the ground floor of the design with the open areas being community spaces where the community interacts.
Mr. N further elaborated by saying that the masterplan was focused on being a sustainable development, and within the bigger picture it created interesting urban pockets (Space in between buildings), pocket parks and courtyard spaces, this in turn would encourage the people to inhabit these spaces, this would then create these mini communities that would increase the social life and interaction between the users.
They wanted to activate this white space and not let it just be wasted, a conscious effort was made to activate the white space on the masterplan. Therefore, they wanted the white space in the plan to act as an experience or as art to activate the urban space.
For example, few of the elements that Mr. N was talking about was a landscaping area, café, kids play area and an art gallery He compared his vision with the example of London, where people would play their guitars, or if people are living in the tower, they could go down to see the art exhibition.
Mr. N and Bjarke Ingels Group made the decision to push the parking away from the façade of the building, and all the MEP and services to be allocated to the basement. Resulting in the façade of the building being more functional and better planning of the building without worrying about the planning of the building.
This makes the project increase the quality of life within the project and achieve social sustainability. Hence it would result in a walkable CBD (commercial business district) community, where people wouldn’t mind getting out of their cars and walking through the district.
According to Mr. N while discussing the project, the client was talking about how to activate the public realm, which would influence the mini community model. Where he said that they wanted to activate the “white space on your figure ground plan which often gets overlooked.”
Although, introducing a courtyard into the design isn’t a unique solution that has been proposed by Bjarke Ingels. He has introduced a courtyard in many of his previous projects, which had different climatic conditions and different requirements. However, the function is suitable for the site and the context.
Figure 2 LEGO Tower, Bjarke Ingels Group Architects
Mr N. then replied by saying that the other companies mentioned had extremely sustainable work, where he acknowledged Bjarke Ingels Group as a younger company that is slightly more Intune with issues of the society, and they address issues related to what younger people might want and turned it into a narrative.
Through the analysis conducted (Social & Environmental), findings show that the intent to make the buildings socially sustainable are largely successful with the green roofs and courtyards providing a space for people to socialize. Although these spaces are successful in achieving a social equilibrium, some users have reported on these spaces not affecting their lives much, and one in particular, VIA 57 West, there courtyard is closed 3 months out of 12.
Furthermore, he complimented Fosters and Partners saying that they had built perfect glass and steel structures. However, they might lack a bit of magic dust. Where he was then questioned if Bjarke Ingels Group was abandoning the idea of sustainability where it is related to generating electricity and etc. He then concluded by saying that they approach the projects while keeping all these core issues in mind, moreover, they take into consideration all these factors affecting a building but approach the design with a different way, i.e., looking into social issues and improving users’ life quality.
Considering the interview from Mr N, and how they discussed the design and its process, we can conclude that the Hedonistic Sustainability Concept of Bjarke Ingels Group is not a means of greenwashing.
The last research question concerning whether BIG are environmentally sustainable was determined by looking at the materials used for constructing the building and effort made to reduce the usage of electricity, the materials used during construction mostly consisted of aluminium, concrete & precast concrete blocks, wood. All these materials have high recyclability and are
The second research question concerning Hedonistic Sustainability and whether if it is being achieved, through the surveys conducted, out of 5 participants with 4 participants agreeing that the buildings do improve quality of life of the users.
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Mr. N concluded about the project by saying that the hedonistic sustainability concept was not a part of their discussion.
However, they discussed extensively about the themes that would create a sustainable project model which were in some way related to hedonistic sustainability.
Conclusion Hedonistic Sustainability is a concept of sustainability which was termed by Bjarke Ingels which addresses core sustainability issues while showing that sustainability can be cheap, fun, and effective. His version of sustainability goes the extra mile and also looks at social issues within society, where through his designs he creates spaces for people to interact.
Furthermore, during the interview with Mr. N, he made it known that Bjarke and his team did not mention anything about Hedonistic Sustainability, which might be concerning as Mr. N, when asked about the concept said he read it books and other sources. Although the Hedonistic Sustainability concept was not mentioned by Bjarke, Mr N stated that all the discussion surrounding sustainability and design development were based around the themes of Hedonistic Sustainability.
Mr. N was then asked the following, “How much potential would Hedonistic sustainability have (influenced the project) If they explained the concept of the client, since they did that, but they didn't really explain hedonistic sustainability which is sort of their trademark, so what if they had explained that to you and then went on with the project would have been a little bit better? Or would it have been the same?”
To which he replied, “If we forget that who we were at the time, if we were just a less interested client who just wanted to do whatever typical master plan, I will say I would answer that by saying 100% if an architect like that comes and speaks with you at that level as a client it's going to inspire you to want to do something different 100%. And it's inspiring. You know, run of the mill client. Bjarke Ingels Group comes in. They would inspire the client to do more.”
The 3rd question Mr. N was asked was regarding the potential of Hedonistic Sustainability and how they would rank compared to companies like HOK Architects, BNIM and Foster and Partners.
22 sustainable for construction of a building, Additionally, BIG’s strategy of implementing high amounts of natural ventilation and natural lighting, does help us draw a conclusion that they had environmental sustainability in mind while design these projects SudradjatReferences,I. &. E. N. &. K. Y. &. P. D., 2020. The hedonistic sustainability concept in the works of Bjarke Ingels. ARTEKS Jurnal Teknik Arsitektur. Talks, T., 2011. TEDxEastSalon Bjarke Ingels Hedonistic Sustainability [Interview] (May 2011). Crook, L., 2021. BIG opens CopenHill power plant in Copenhagen with rooftop ski slope. [online] Dezeen. Available at: <https://www.dezeen.com/2019/10/08/big copenhill power plant ski slope copenhagen/> [Accessed 22 December 2021]. urbanNext |. 2021. CopenHill: Hedonistic Sustainability | urbanNext. [online] Available at: <https://urbannext.net/copenhill/> [Accessed 22 December 2021]. Niland, J., 2021. BIG's CopenHill ski slope may be closing after unexpected wear and tear incites insurance dispute. [online] Archinect. Available at: <https://archinect.com/news/article/150278678/big s copenhill ski slope may be closing after unexpected wear and tear incites insurance dispute> [Accessed 23 December 2021]. W, M., 2021. [online] Available Whelan,[Accessedhill<https://viablealternativenergy.com/copenat:sustainablewastetoenergy/>23December2021].R.,2021. New Face of Design [online] WSJ. Available [Accessed2396390443570904577543213184822638><https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1000087at:23December2021].
23 Baldwin, E., 2021. Behind the Building: VIA 57 West by BIG Architizer Journal [online] Journal. Available Minner,2021].rials/via<https://architizer.com/blog/practice/mateat:57big/>[Accessed23DecemberK.,2021. 8 House / BIG. [online] ArchDaily. Available Gonchar,house<https://www.archdaily.com/83307/8at:big>[Accessed23December2021].J.,2021. | Architectural Record [online] Architecturalrecord.com. Available urbanNext2021].les/7867<https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articat:house>[Accessed23December|.2021. VIA 57 West | urbanNext. [online] Available <https://urbannext.net/viaat: 57 west/> [Accessed 23 December 2021]. SAHA, P., 2021. 8 House. Greenroofs.com.Decemberm/2012/10/8<https://AvailableArchitectureassociate.blogspot.com.[online]at:architectureassociate.blogspot.cohouse.html>[Accessed232021].2021. 8 House (8 Tallet) Greenroofs.com. [online] Available at: <https://www.greenroofs.com/projects/8 house 8 tallet/> [Accessed 23 December 2021]. urbanNext |. 2021. CopenHill: Hedonistic Sustainability | urbanNext. [online] Available at: <https://urbannext.net/copenhill/> [Accessed 23 December 2021]. Big.dk. 2021. BIG|BjarkeIngelsGroup. [online] Available at: <https://big.dk/#about> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
24 InterviewSurveysAppendix 0:00:11.940 > 00:00:18.350 so,AZKI'm just going to start off with, uh, I'm writing my dissertation on BIG. 00:00:18.920 > 00:00:19.440 00:00:19.560Yes.N > 00:00:23.300 AndAZK I I'm sort of analysing their work in terms of sustainability. 00:00:24.610 > 00:00:25.070 Yes.N
00:02:21.630 > 00:02:24.440 ButN what did come up was, 00:02:25.240 > 00:02:40.380
SoAZKthey have this concept, their own concept of sustainability that they called Hedonistic Sustainability. And since you've worked very closely with them, I'm guessing you would know a lot about it.
00:00:52.380 > 00:00:52.870
00:01:18.620 > 00:01:30.970 Uh,N more recently, to be honest, when we started to work with BIG on the project in Makers District and. 00:01:32.860 > 00:01:40.350
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WeN were fundamentally as part of that master plan, and I believe what BIG were why they wanted to work with us on that master plan. We were fundamentally at absolute grass roots. 00:02:41.180 > 00:02:44.540
ThisN conversation for your dissertation, but I will try and give some value and towards your topic of sustainability. And so, the phrase has hedonistic sustainability. As I say it, it is. In fact, I don't recall it coming up at all when we were when we were discussing it was called the Loop project in make his district.
00:00:32.750 > 00:00:33.090
00:00:56.730 > 00:01:04.500 AndAZK its sort of like I'm analysing their work and putting it against their own word. So, are you doing what you say you're doing?
00:01:05.270 > 00:01:15.280 Right,N right OK, interesting, well interesting. You should say that I have heard that come up in various sort of texts or narratives.
AndAZK I wanted more information on Hedonistic Sustainability.
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AndN interestingly, that phrase.
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BecauseAZK everywhere Mr. Bjarke goes, he always brings up that topic.
DesignN stage for the master plan, creating a sustainable masterplan model in that it was a mixed use.
FiveN years ago when we when we started on that project with them.
00:01:53.280 > 00:01:57.620 I'mN not sure how helpful it. Therefore, it's going to be. 00:01:58.470 > 00:02:20.280
ItN wasn't really one of the one of the narratives that came up a lot.
00:00:37.700Right?N > 00:00:44.310
00:00:52.450Yes.N > 00:00:55.990
Might’veAZK bragged about it, so I'll just go over what I'm going to talk about.
00:05:57.140 > 00:06:06.490 ButN they were, but they were giving something back to the community. We were actually extending the public realm into the project.
SoN it wasn't a case that you had these plots that then became entirely sort of private plots exclusive for the plots, and that kind of turned their back on the rest of the master plan. Those then, the courtyards that were created within the two plots were for the community and yes, there was the open quote. The open courtyard was had it different thresholds from public to private space. And yes, it wasn't that it was 100%.
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WasN more so than this header. Nistic sustainability was what Bjarke Ingels would often talk about, and his team would talk about it was what they called the gift, and the gift was, and you may have it. You may. You may have heard this if you've heard him speak on Ted talks and various other seminars, but I think the gift was basically what is the added thing.
00:07:02.630 > 00:07:04.740
Uhm,N these ideas or.
AndN the sort of antithesis of that model, which is the CBD with the, with the urban sprawl, you know, like in LA where your you know your drive, hours, and hours to get from urban sprawl villas and residential estates into a CBD where you work and then you'll you know. Likewise, going drive back you know this was the antithesis of that it was this medium to high density, mixed use development in the city.
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UhN and retail with a small amount of commercial office space in that development and it's and one of the things that really sort of came up.
AN gift in the sense that it wasn't 100% public space, and it was layered from public from a Blvd through to private gardens. But it gave back. It opened the project up to the public realm and similarly the other tower gave back in that the entire ground floor was a farmers’ market. So, so these ideas of.
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AndN walkable community development, and we wanted it to be. And if you remember in a talk when I was talking about.
WhereN you could live, work, and play so BIG, BIG were very much buying into that model and their development was a micro community within that master development, so they’re their model supported the wider master planned development in the in that their project was again
AndN mixed use development consisting of residential.
TheN master plan. What can it do to give back to the local community and their solution for that? A man was this idea of the courtyards, the court yard projects, and from a sustainability point of view, the courtyards were.
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AndN we've got certain efficiency targets that we need to meet, but what is it that that what is it that the scheme can do that can go above and beyond that and what can it do to give back to? 00:05:15.030 > 00:05:32.570
00:02:59.360 > 00:03:29.540
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00:06:07.370 > 00:06:37.770
00:04:41.700 > 00:05:00.480 ThatN the scheme can do beyond the client brief, so the client brief was for a mixed use development. You know we have the program requirements for residential and retail and commercial space, but they talked about what is the gift and we we've got. We've got this. We've got this brief from the client.
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NotN only creating self shade for the project, so they were they were they were helping to reduce the solar gain on the facade because it was creating sort of high points and low points. And you know the higher points were enabling this sort of self shade onto the onto the courtyard spaces.
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VeryN interesting urban spaces. It's creating very interesting urban pockets, pocket parks and courtyard spaces, which ultimately make people want to inhabit the space, and it becomes a thriving community and it, and people therefore will happily spend their time in this district and not be getting in their car to drive. You know, here there and everywhere, or doing whatever. It's it all. It all fed into the ultimate feeling of this sustainable. 00:08:00.700 > 00:08:23.190
ItAZKcombines
00:10:12.340 > 00:10:26.750 N
ThenN the gift all ultimately fed back into. 00:07:11.090 > 00:07:29.330
00:09:43.360 > 00:10:00.420 AndN his team talked around these themes, which seemed to be effectively the same things. I think that I get. I guess that's ultimately why they were so interested in the project because it. It was a perfect kind of match and fit with what they were trying to, what they were trying to do as well.
Walkable,N thriving community. So, so I think I mean the other. There was lot. There's lots of other things with the design of the project, but I think what I wanted to say was really the term of the terminology headed Mystic. Sustainability wasn't really a sort of her in the discussions, but t here was that there was lots of discussions Ultimately,N00:08:24.440around.>00:08:32.330themeswhichwould create a sustainable building model within a sustainable masterplan model so. 00:08:33.410 > 00:08:46.170 But,N and maybe if you could sort of tell me a little bit more about some of the narratives that come around their head in estik sustainability that they use. Maybe, maybe I can give you a few more points as to as to how that fed into our project.
00:10:01.730Yeah.AZK > 00:10:11.760 Yeah,AZK so basically, he says sustainable ideas, fun and community, so that was displayed out as you explained it, which he explained it very good.
AhAZKyes Sir. So, hedonistic sustainability to let's say Bjarke Ingels. So, he defines it as. 00:08:56.690 > 00:08:58.200
ThisN narrative of the sustainable development for the master plan, in that it was because it you are opening up the public realm to people and you know when you think about it in the bigger picture, it’s creating and it's creating. 00:07:30.070 > 00:08:00.650
HeN didn't say this this terminology at all. I mean, I was aware of it. I can't say I was familiar in terms of his. His specific definition of it. I was aware of it, but it didn't come up in that way. He kind of more talked.
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Ideas,AZK00:08:58.850sustainable.>00:09:22.740funandcommunity.So, what you said, sort of points it out towards that direction, but then it's not completely what 'cause like if he talks about it. He's been talking about this for 10 years now and he always brings it up. Podcasts, YouTube videos, talks, everything. He says the word just head on a stick sustainability. So, he might be doing it, but like he didn't bring it up, which is surprising.
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00:09:24.340 > 00:09:24.910 00:09:25.590Yeah.N > 00:09:42.730
just in terms of how we wanted the architecture to respond to it and again that I talked in the lecture about sort of the ideas of human scale, human scale space and the idea of the parking and being pushed away so that you can activate that actual building facades into that space and so. 00:11:19.870 > 00:11:23.330
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AndN if you think about if you think about that white space, let's say. 00:11:23.380 > 00:11:26.270 AndN we would talk about. 00:11:27.070 > 00:11:57.240
00:12:07.940 > 00:12:11.770 00:12:11.980landscapingN > 00:12:20.510
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TheseN all these things are things that ultimately.
ActivationN from the hard building line into that space and what sits behind that building line. So, is it? Is it a? Is it a car park? No, we didn't want that. Is it a mechanical room with you know louvers and LLV rooms, low voltage rooms and Transformers? No, we didn't want that. We wanted all of that to be as much as possible. Pushed below the ground so he would talk about activation in terms of that becoming a retail space or an art gallery.
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MusicalN events, you know, a buscar like you'd see if you're in London. You know, playing his guitar, like get cheering, you know on the on the street you know all of these. All these things that range from you, know that that basically or other kind of the scroll of the soul of like a of what makes a community enjoyable. You know these, we're talking about that, that the physical activation of that white space as well. So, it's from the building line and throw into that space. And I think that was something which again.
AndN lead to the bonding of a community. And you know there's a thing. Or if you're living in a tower, you're saying we're going to go down because there is an art fair.
00:10:16.970 > 00:10:17.510 00:10:27.420Yes.AZK > 00:10:49.530
kidsN play areas; water fountains and you know fund water jets for kids to play.
AddedN to these architects to work on our projects, we were of course talking about the ideas that we had for the for the master development and one of the BIG things about the public realm and this idea. As I said in my talk of activating the spaces in between the buildings, the stuff that the white space on your figure ground plan, which often gets you know.
OrN a cafe or something like that, but then beyond that we talk about the activation of the actual physical white space on the drawing. And how do we create art?
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UhN and TheN00:10:57.960ButN00:10:53.420dismissed.>00:10:56.530wetalkedalotaboutthe>00:11:19.420activationofthatspace,not
Yeah, well I'm just wonderful thing a man as well with the fun side of things and another thing that we were we were really trying to do is in in makers district and it was one of the ultimately when we were pitching.
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Sorry,N much aligned with this Hedonistic sustainability so. 00:13:52.890 > 00:13:54.970
AnotherAZK thing was, uh, so. 00:13:55.650 > 00:14:16.530
IAZKjust want to know, as in how much potential Would Hedonistic sutability have. If they explained the concept of the client, since they did that, but they didn't really explain hedonistic sustainability is sort of trademark, so what if they had explained that to you and then went on with the project would have been a little bit better? Or would it have been the same? 00:14:16.970 > 00:14:21.380 Uhm,N well, I'd say I'd say if we if we come. 00:14:22.790 > 00:14:34.770
IfN we forget that who we were at the time who I was working with it and in in camp, and what we'd already set a lot of these things integral to the master plan anyway. But if we forget that for a second, if we were just a. 00:14:35.390 > 00:14:57.360 aN less interested client who just wanted to do whatever typical master plan, I would say I would answer that by saying 100% if an architect like that comes and speaks with you at that level as a client it's going to inspire you to want to do something different 100% because the way that they're able to articulate these. 00:14:57.890 > 00:15:00.110 AndN these AndN00:15:00.550narratives.>00:15:30.550it'sinspiring.So,100%itwould do it just so happens that we, as a client already had a lot of that ingrained within our master plan. So, in that situation, it was like a match made in heaven because they came in with the same ideals in terms of what they want to do as to what Mr. As to what we wanted to integrate with the master plan. I mean, ultimately, we knew the kind of work that they did and what MVRDV 00:15:30.610 > 00:15:44.420 did,N and that's why we approached them and why we kind of knew that would be able to catch them because we knew that there would be interested because they share the same ideals but I'm saying that typical if you wipe if you wipe the slate clean and just say. 00:15:45.500 > 00:15:52.770 YouN know, run of the mill client. Bjarke Ingels Group comes in. Yes, definitely there will be. They would inspire the client to do more. 00:15:52.820 > 00:15:54.870 AN more AN00:15:55.330interesting.>00:15:58.730masterplansandprojects,yeah.
29 00:13:04.750 > 00:13:34.790
InN in this public round space, we're going to go downstairs today. There's a ripe market. There's a. There's a. There's a guy playing his guitar. It comes every week. There's an art display. So, we, we, we, when we when we spoke with Bjarke we basically said this is our vision for the master plan. This is how we want our white space out to be to be activated. And this is how we want your architecture to feed into that space. And I think that was again something which really resonated with 00:13:34.850them. > 00:13:37.780
'cNause that's that's what they're. That's what they're all about. And it sounds like. 00:13:38.550 > 00:13:42.670
CaptureN that in a very compelling narrative.
MiniAZK village that they make, which empowers the people to be more socially sustainable.
30
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00:16:55.860 > 00:16:56.920 SuchN 00:16:57.450architects.> 00:17:25.090
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AndN I think that they take the narrative to a slightly different level and then some of the others. Maybe, I think some of the others have very interesting work which is extremely sustainable and a lot of them do some very, very worthy projects. I mean foster associates. I mean, there's no, you know, you can't knock them, really? I mean they do some suits and fantastic projects and their work with amazing engineers to do some very, you know, some very.
PassiveN and active design, and I just think that Bjarke Ingels group, as a slightly younger company that comes up there, just slightly more in tune with.
ThinkN it's a very dynamic thing. It's a very dynamic process and you end up with very, very dynamic. 00:18:13.730 > 00:18:35.320
WhenN I think I, I listen to the talks that that Bjarke does, and.
00:16:05.170 > 00:16:07.000 Yeah,N sure 00:16:06.940yeah.> 00:16:37.970
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TNhe slightly more in tune with different issues perhaps in in society and what younger people might want, and they somehow managed to.
Right,AZK so that was very informational. I just have one last question.
Yeah,N I. I think they; I think. 00:16:49.270 > 00:16:54.560
AndN buildings and architecture. Because of that process and because of that narrative beyond what you would get from you. Know fosters, fosters might do it. Perfect. Perfect glass, steel, and glass box that's you know, perfectly sustainable and wonderful in every possible passive and active weight. But it's but it might be missing that little.
00:17:46.400 > 00:17:48.970
AndN they and feed that into the kind of architectural, the architectural narrative and often are able to convert that into a physical, physical reality with architecture. And I think that I think that is a very. 00:18:05.560 > 00:18:06.420 00:18:07.180Dynamic.N > 00:18:13.160
SoAZKthe third question I wanted to ask was I looked at the top three companies in sustainability which included a HOK architects and BNIM and also Foster and partners. So, would you say BIG architects sort of competes with them in the level of sustainability? Or is their sustainability, more interactive in terms of, let's say social sustainability, where people are more empowered through interactions with each other and its sort of like.
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YeNah.00:19:06.960
TheyN are. They are cognizant. They are aware of the core, sustainable and issues and matters with passive and active design you know they are aware of that, and they and they still approach their projects and keep those things in mind. Whether it be the thermal properties of wall construction and you value and all of that, I think there's still very much aware of that, and they've learned those things, but because he's young and because their team is young.
IAZKwould 00:19:08.010say. > 00:19:17.810
Yeah,N I think so. I think so. I mean, I wouldn't necessarily say they're abandoning the old way in. And when I say that I mean.
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It'sN a lot of young graduates and young architects. I think they just approach architecture with a very different. 00:19:56.100 > 00:20:03.680
I might be, let's say I'm considering, is that Bjarke Ingels being a young company, their sort of abandoning the old sort of idea of sustainability, where you generate electricity, and this and that. But then that also introducing sustainability in a very social term where there is more public interaction and it's better for the public over also increases the quality of life.
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BitN of magic So,AZK00:18:38.810dust.>00:19:06.900sowhatyou'resayingwhat
> 00:19:07.590
Freight,N yes, a different narrative and it's and uh, it tackles more the social side of things. So yes, agreed yeah.
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