Power plant with rooftop ski slope opens in Copenhagen

Work has been completed in Copenhagen on a power plant with a twist.

Designed by BIG, the CopenHill powerplant has been described as the "cleanest waste-to-energy power plant in the world." It also features a ski slope on its rooftop and the world’s tallest artificial climbing wall on its façade.

The power plant, also referred to as Amager Bakke, is capable of converting 440,000 tons of waste into clean energy every year.

CopenHill is so clean that we have been able to turn its building mass into the bedrock of the social life of the city

"CopenHill is a blatant architectural expression of something that would otherwise have remained invisible: that it is the cleanest waste-to-energy power plant in the world," said Bjarke Ingels, founder of BIG.

"As a power plant, CopenHill is so clean that we have been able to turn its building mass into the bedrock of the social life of the city – its facade is climbable, its roof is hikeable and its slopes are skiable.

"A crystal clear example of hedonistic sustainability – that a sustainable city is not only better for the environment – it is also more enjoyable for the lives of its citizens."

Initial designs for the building included art work in the chimney which would release a vapour ring every time a certain amount of carbon dioxide had been released into the atmosphere.