The Greenhouse is the centre of the new public park “Operaparken” in Copenhagen’s inner harbour, which was developed in a competition in 2019 until finalisation in 2023 by Cobe Architects.
The “green lung” of the pavilion is formed by an atrium that extends over three stories, two of them are underground, surrounded by the parking areas. The atrium is separated by curved glazings and is heavily vegetated. On the ground floor park level, the pavilion with a diameter of about 45m, is characterised by the curved layout and a thin steel roof.
In the original design the roof was supported on the all-glass façade, to reduce its deformation. In the course of ecological and economic optimisations, a design change took place, whereby the roof was developed as a self standing, pre-shaped construction with tension rods in the façade. The glazing is no longer load-bearing. Therefore the glass thickness could be reduced by a third, which increases transparency and saves resources.
The resulting new demands on the glass elements, especially in combination with the tension rods and a stress-free assembly, required unconventional solutions in the construction of the façade.
The contribution reflects the close cooperation between architecture, structure engineering and the façade development and shows how resources can be saved with cross-disciplinary solution concepts and advanced engineering.
