Theme: Transformation

Transformation

Around 40% of Europe’s material and energy consumption goes to construction. Using healthy, lasting materials and converting buildings for new purposes offers the potential for better resource utilisation.

Read an interview with Dr. Prof. Michael Braungart, one of the world's leading environmental thinkers and founders of the Cradle-to-Cradle design concept. Under the title "Buildings should make life better" he shares his thoughts on the sustainability and positive footprint of buildings.

In this theme you can also read about the reuse of materials at the highest possible value level in an interview with Kasper Guldager Jensen, CEO of GXN and a member of the Danish government’s Advisory Board for the circular economy. And explore two key concepts in sustainable building: life cycle costs and life cycle assessments.

You can also visit an educational building, a restaurant and a home furnishings store. All three buildings have undergone successful transformations, and their original Troldtekt ceilings have been preserved and given a new life. 

Buildings should make life better

All too often, sustainability becomes a matter of guilt management and minimizing harm to the environment, says Prof. Dr. Michael Braungart, one of the founders of the Cradle-to-Cradle design concept.

Instead, we should construct buildings that support and improve life and leave a positive footprint. To achieve this, buildings need to be more flexible and designed as services.

Michael Baumgart

Tomorrow’s buildings must be designed for disassembly

Construction must change from a linear to a circular approach, in which more materials are reused at the highest possible value level. This is the view of Kasper Guldager Jensen, founder of GXN and member of the Danish government’s Advisory Board for the circular economy. If the mission is to succeed, it will require a new aesthetic approach and circular building regulations that make it possible to harvest and reuse materials from existing buildings.    

Troldtekt, Kasper Guldager

Service life is a key factor in sustainable building

Will a building material last for 50 years, or have to be replaced after 15? The answer will have a major bearing on the cost and environmental impact of your building. It is therefore important to have a good grasp of life cycle costs (LCC) and life cycle assessment (LCA) in sustainable building. Especially if you want your building certified. Senior Researcher Harpa Birgisdottir offers her views on the life cycle of construction materials.    

Troldtekt Harpa Birgisdottir

The Innovation Factory

Troldtekt, Innovation Factory

A love of wood was clearly evident when GORI built its factory in Kolding in the 1970s. The large buildings have been taken over by the International Business College today, which has preserved the atmosphere and the use of wood in the new design. The old Troldtekt ceilings have been retained and supplemented by new, black Troldtekt wall cladding with wood lamellae.

See photographs and find out more

Ristorante DaVinci

Troldtekt Ristorante DaVinci

The former library at the edge of Mariager Fjord has been transformed into a popular Italian restaurant. The transformation called for extensive renovation, in which only the original Troldtekt ceiling panels were allowed to remain. Mat black is a theme throughout the restaurant and it’s exterior.

See photographs and find out more

X-Akt lifestyle store

Troldtekt, X-Akt

The old industrial hall has been renovated and the impressive showroom still looks almost the same as when it was used for Herning’s textiles industry around the middle of last century. A green concrete floor, raw walls and the original Troldtekt ceilings provide an attractive contrast to the renowned design pearls X-Akt sells.

See photographs and find out more

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