The just completed 8 House, probably named for its bow-tie shape, is the newest and final addition to Bjarke Ingels Group's trilogy of housing projects with developer Hopfner Partners. The building, located in the Orestad neighborhood of Copenhagen, is the largest private development in Denmark. The essential "ingredients of a neighborhood are stacked in horizontal layers and then twisted, imitating the condition of a city block, where buildings and houses co-exist. In this one, though, you can ride your bike from the ground all the way to the 10th floor.
Thomas Christofferen, the 8 House Partner in Charge, says:
The apartments are placed at the top while the commercial programme unfolds at the base of the building. As a result, the different horizontal layers have achieved a quality of their own: the apartments benefit from the view, sunlight and fresh air, while the office leases merge with life on the street. This is emphasized by the shape of 8 House which is literally hoisted up in the northeast corner and pushed down at the southwest corner, allowing light and air to enter the southern courtyard.(more...)