Mountain effect

The huge multi-storey car park by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and JDS shows that it is possible 'to create a symbiotic relationship between traditional components of living and parking and reach a new level or residential comfort'. Faced with a programme of 450 parking spaces and 80 apartments, the architects could have simply gone for the most obvious solution (small apartment complex, large car park), but instead they had a better idea.

Perched atop a 34-metre-high 'artificial mountain', the lucky occupants can now look out over Ørestad. The staggered roof profile offered a perfect base for terrace apartments, all of which face the sun and so make optimum use of daylight. Below the apartments, which are faced with timber, is a four-storey car park. And for once there is no greyish, oppressive atmosphere; instead, vibrant, bright colours and a ceiling that is sixteen metres high in places ensure that the interior is just as fresh looking as the exterior.

The 'freshness' of the exterior is due partly to the unique concept, but also to the chosen material: the perforated aluminium allows light and air into the car park. The perforated sheeting, which covers a surface area of 2500 m², reveals a huge, abstracted image of Mount Everest. During the day, the mountain is coarse-grained and 'colourless', but when night falls the car park lighting shines through the holes, producing a 'negative image' of the mountain. The use of aluminium also extends to the sides of the apartments, reinforcing the effect of a gleaming mountaintop. (Hannah Schubert)