JAJA Architects won the competition organized by Metroselskabet, Denmark, to develop resource-efficient and climate-friendly metro stations. The winning team takes a comprehensive and holistic approach, looking at both material-optimized and sustainable design solutions and the character of the journey that passengers take to reach their destination. The proposal is centered around three core elements: Materials, Mobility Hub and Climate Campaign. While aiming to reduce CO2 emissions, the team also seeks to create an enjoyable and easy-to-navigate space for the many daily passengers. Snøhetta, 3XN/GXN, and Effekt also participated in the competition.
Materials – Less is More
The existing metro stations are characterized by a relatively simple material palette, a direction that is retained in JAJA’s proposal. They explain that the goal is to add no unnecessary layers, thus reducing the need for new materials, reusing the available elements, and employing biomaterials. Currently, the station walls are cast in standard molds, then covered with a cladding system which needs to be changed at the end of its service life. The proposal suggests molding the station walls with wooden molds with a three-dimensional texture. The molds can then be reused as cladding for light walls, while signage and other installations can be mounted visibly on wooden and concrete surfaces. Taking the scope of the competition one step further, JAJA Architects developed a proposal to replace parts of the concrete structure with a visible structure in wood, supporting the station's roof and walls.
Mobility Hub
The metro stations are understood as part of a larger mobility strategy. The architects also see these sustainable transport hubs as being perfectly suited for generating active city life. They reinterpret the historic Copenhagen telephone kiosks to create pavilions and side rooms in the metro station shafts. The M-Pavilions can facilitate services and public functions such as safe bicycle parking, parcel centers, shared bike/scooter services, coffee shops, and more. By integrating these functions, the structures could alleviate the first/last mile problem, which refers to the spatial accessibility of public transport and is one of the most important factors in determining whether an individual will choose to use the public transport infrastructure.
Climate Campaign
While aiming to reduce the carbon footprint of the new metro stations, the architects also understand the potential of these spaces to offer the passengers information and education regarding climate actions. The metro stations are adapted to host climate campaign initiatives such as cinematic projections, billboards, and even an app, all contributing to communicating sustainability in multiple ways to the over 20,000 people passing through the stations every day.
JAJA Architects, a Copenhagen-based architecture office, is well known for its works focused on mobility, transformation, and biomaterials. Park ‘n’ Play, their design for refurbishing the roof of a parking building and transforming it into living urban spaces with sports and play equipment, has won the international design award Danish Design Award 2020 in the category of “Livable Cities”. Together with Open Platform, Rama Studio and Søren Jensen Engineers, they have also won the open competition for a new parking house in Aarhus with a proposal for a wooden structure, which aligns with Denmark’s vision of becoming climate neutral by 2050.
