Good Buildings on a Small Planet, Danish architecture

What's a good building on our small planet? This question is addressed in the book titled “Good Buildings on a Small Planet”, published by Arvinius + Orfeus Publishing. It showcases the ideas of eight Danish architecture firms as examples of sustainable design.


We continue with our series on architecture books in view of the upcoming festivities. The book “Good Buildings on a Small Planet” published by Arvinius + Orfeus Publishing, addresses one of the most pressing issues of our time - what is sustainable architecture?
The key question of the study is not simply creating buildings that consume less but creating buildings that give back more - more beauty, more meaning, more community. Because it's not just a material question, the human aspect of architecture that respects both the local setting and the world as a whole is playing an increasingly important part in contemporary design.
Themes that are dear to the hearts of these Danish architects who stand out for their humanist approach to sustainable architecture.
The book, “Good Buildings on a Small Planet” edited by Rasmus Rune Nielsen presents the projects of eight Danish creators whose ideas have gone out into the world. You can read about the row houses by the Lendager Group in Copenhagen, built using upcycled concrete from abandoned houses, the Quay Quarter Tower by GXN in Sydney, Australia, whose structure has been designed to minimise resource use for future refurbishment. Another towering example is the HSB high-rise by C.F. Møller Architects in Stockholm, Sweden. This is made from solid wood and new concrete-cross-laminated timber (CLT) hybrids. 
The book focuses on the new Siemens headquarters in Munich for Henning Larsen Architects and EFFEKT proposes self-sustaining, eco-neighbourhoods in Denmark. Then, SLA uses fungi and planted facades to cleanse the air and form a green link between the Paris city centre and the suburbs, while the Tredje Natur (Third Nature) architects address the problem of traffic with a pop-up parking concept.
An inspiring showcase of good design practices for our planet that is starting to run out of its limited resources and space.

Christiane Bürklein

Good Buildings on a Small Planet” edited by Arvinius + Orfeus Publishing
Language: English/Danish 
Editors: Rasmus Rune Nielsen 
Design: Britt Gundersen, Signe Bjerregaard 
No. of pages: 240 
Format: 200 x 255 mm 
Binding: Hardcover 
Publication Date: November 2017 
ISBN: 978-91-87543-89-0 (eng) 
The architects portrayed are Lendager Group, GXN, C. F. Møller Architects, Vandkunsten, EFFEKT, Henning Larsen Architects, SLA and Tredje Natur (Third Nature).