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8 House ( da, 8 Tallet), also known as Big House, is a large
mixed-use development Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some ...
built in the shape of a
figure 8 Figure 8 (figure of 8 in British English) may refer to: * 8 (number), in Arabic numerals Entertainment * ''Figure 8'' (album), a 2000 album by Elliott Smith * "Figure of Eight" (song), a 1989 song by Paul McCartney * '' Figure Eight EP'', a ...
on the southern perimeter of the new suburb of
Ørestad Ørestad () is a developing city area in Copenhagen, Denmark, on the island of Amager. The area was developed using the new town concept, closely linked with the M1 line of the Copenhagen Metro. Economically, income for the plan would be generate ...
in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, Denmark. Designed by
Bjarke Ingels Bjarke Bundgaard Ingels (; born 2 October 1974) is a Danish architect, founder and creative partner of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). In Denmark, Ingels became well known after designing two housing complexes in Ørestad: VM Houses and Mountain D ...
, founding partner of the
Bjarke Ingels Group Bjarke Ingels Group, often referred to as BIG, is a Copenhagen and New York based group of architects, designers and builders operating within the fields of architecture, urbanism, research and development. The office is currently involved in a ...
(BIG), the bow-shaped building consists of 61,000 square metres of three different types of residential housing and 10,000 square metres of retail premises and offices. It is the largest private development ever undertaken in Denmark. Commissioned by Store Frederikslund Holding, Høpfner A/S and Danish Oil Company A/S in 2006, it is Ingels' third housing development in Ørestad, following VM Houses and
Mountain Dwellings Mountain Dwellings ( da, Bjerget) is a building in the Ørestad district of Copenhagen, Denmark, consisting of apartments above a multi-story car park. The building was designed by the Danish architectural practicPLOT"8 House / BIG"
''Arch Daily''. Retrieved 11 October 2012.


Design

Referring to his second example of "architectural alchemy", Bjarke Ingels explains his idea "that by mixing traditional ingredients, retail, rowhouses and apartments in untraditional ways, you create added value, if not gold." This is achieved by stacking the various ingredients of an urban neighbourhood into layers. They are connected by a promenade and a cycle track which reach up to the 10th floor, allowing businesses and housing to co-exist. Thomas Christoffersen, BIG's partner in charge of the project, described the approach in more detail:
The apartments are placed at the top while the commercial programme unfolds at the base of the building. As a result, the different horizontal layers have achieved a quality of their own: the apartments benefit from the view, sunlight and fresh air, while the office leases merge with life on the street. This is emphasised by the shape of 8 House which is literally hoisted up in the northeast corner and pushed down at the southwest corner, allowing light and air to enter the southern courtyard.
The scheme was based on the typology of a perimeter block but was squeezed in the middle to form a bowtie shape with two courtyards. At the centre, there is a 10-metre-wide passage connecting the surrounding spaces, the park area to the west and the channel area to the east. The retail and commercial area at the base consists of a café, a day-care centre and offices, while the living space with houses, apartments and penthouses is positioned above. The sloping, 10-storey building provides views over the fields and marshes of Kalvebod Faelled to the south. The unusual ramp looping around the complex is designed to foster a sense of community, encouraging interaction between neighbours.


Assessment

In granting the 2011 Housing Winner award, the
World Architecture Festival The World Architecture Festival (WAF) is an annual festival and awards ceremony, one of the most prestigious events dedicated to the architecture and development industry. The first four events were held in Barcelona, from 2008 to 2011, at which p ...
jury commented: "The 8 House in the Copenhagen quarter of Orestad is an exemplar project. It combines retail, commercial row houses and apartments in untraditional ways, and its elevated street provides a new level of social engagement." The
American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...
jury for the 2012 Honor Awards stated:
The 8 House masterfully recreates the horizontal social connectivity and interaction of the streets of a village neighborhood through a series of delightful accessible ramps in a mixed use, multifamily housing project. The skillful shaping of the mass of the facility provides an invigorating sculptural form while creating the ramped "pedestrian" street system and providing full depth dwelling units which are filled with light and views. People really "live" in this newly created neighborhood with shopping, restaurants, an art gallery, office facilities, childcare, educational facilities and the sound of children playing. This is a complex and exemplary project of a new typology.


Awards

* Housing Building of the Year at the 2011
World Architecture Festival The World Architecture Festival (WAF) is an annual festival and awards ceremony, one of the most prestigious events dedicated to the architecture and development industry. The first four events were held in Barcelona, from 2008 to 2011, at which p ...
. *The 2012 American Institute of Architects Honor Award for Architecture that recognises achievements that elevate the general quality of the architectural practice."AIA Award 2012 for BIG's 8 House"
, ''DAC''. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
*''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' included 8 House as one of the "10 Best Architecture Moments of 2001-2010."Jacob Slevin, "10 Best Architecture Moments of 2001-2010"
''Huffington Post'', 23 December 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
*The best green roof in Scandinavia award," from The Scandinavian Green Roof Association, for "clear and conscious use of the green roof, successfully integrating it into the visual identify of the building."
''Designboom''. Retrieved 11 October 2012.


Gallery

Image:Ørestad - 8 House.jpg, Image:8 House - passageway.jpg, Image:8 House.jpg,


See also

*''
The Infinite Happiness ''The Infinite Happiness'' is a feature-length documentary (85 min) by Ila Bêka & Louise Lemoine which documents their life for about a month inside the “8 House” designed by the architect Bjarke Ingels in Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ...
'' a feature-length film by
Ila Bêka Ila Bêka is a contemporary Italian artist, filmmaker and producer living in Paris. Ila Bêka is part of the artist duo Bêka & Lemoine. Ila Bêka, together with Louise Lemoine, "are two of the foremost architectural artists working today. Thei ...
& Louise Lemoine


References


Further reading

* Bjarke Ingels, ''Yes is More: An Archicomic on Architectural Evolution'' (exhibition catalogue), Copenhagen 2009, {{coord, 55, 36, 59.9, N, 12, 34, 18, E, display=title Apartment buildings in Copenhagen Residential buildings completed in 2010 Bjarke Ingels buildings