Danish, green projects honored in the States

Since 2004, The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, together with The European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, and Metropolitan Arts Press, Ltd. have organised The International Architecture Awards. The International Architecture Award was established to honor the year’s best, most significant new building designs. This year, three Danish projects—two of which are designed by Henning Larsen Architects—were selected for the prestigious award.

An energy-friendly museum
Moesgaard Museum is northern Europe’s largest newly-built cultural history museum. With its sloping roofscape of grass, moss and wild flowers, the building forms a powerful visual landmark perceptible even from the sea. The museum is designed by Henning Larsen Architects in collaboration with Kristine Jensens Tegnestue.

In addition energy-efficiency and sustainability have been incorporated from the beginning without compromising the aesthetics, which is why the museum is now one of the world’s most energy friendly museums, by reducing the energy consumption. The extension of Moesgaard Muesum has been constructed to meet the criteria of Danish low energy class. This means that the building may consume no more than half of the energy that is used today.

This is the first time that a cultural history museum of this size is constructed in Denmark. And it is the first time that a museum participates in setting new energy and environmental standards.

The consultancy company COWI was selected to act as consulting engineers for the stunning museum building.

COWI’s suggestions include solar cells, a local biomass fuelled CPH station, thermo-active structures that store both cold and heat, and a so-called dual mode ventilation concept that combines natural and mechanical ventilation.

Furthermore, COWI proposed optimisation of daylight, utilisation of solar energy, LED lighting (energy-saving light-emitting diodes), and accumulation of energy in heavy building structures.

Source: State of Green