Living Places – a new way of thinking about buildings
At VELUX, we believe it’s time to rethink how buildings can help resolve global climate and health challenges through sustainable solutions and practical action.
Together with our partners EFFEKT and MOE we set out to make an impact in the building industry. An industry accounting for up to 40% of global energy consumption and CO2 emissions. A platform for investors, contractors, engineers, architects, and other specialist experts to join forces in a pioneering, multidisciplinary initiative that reconnects people and the planet.
Welcome to Living Places Copenhagen - an experimental living environment set out to demonstrate that we do not have to wait for future technology to move and improve people’s lives while being regenerative for the planet.
Living Places will be open to visitors in the 1st quarter of 2023 in Copenhagen when the city takes on the title of the World Capital of Architecture. This site offers a platform for following the Living Places experiment as it develops until its opening. We will be continuously updating this page with new information about the construction, and achieved parameters. Sign up to the newsletter to stay up to date with the project.
5 principles
With Living Places, we want to inspire – and prove that change is possible right now. Based on five key principles which can be applied to any home, community or city, we seek to create homes that are scalable, affordable and commercially viable.
Each material, design and building technique is carefully considered to reduce environmental impact and improve human health.
The project aims at demonstrating that it is possible to achieve 3x lower carbon footprint emissions and 3 times better indoor climate than in an average Danish single family house, at an affordable and scalable level.
We don’t have to wait for the advancement of technology to accomplish this. We have all the knowledge and technology we need right now for the building industry to create responsible and regenerative solutions.
Healthy
What if we could build homes that are healthy for both people and the planet?
Shared
What if we could strengthen our sense of community by rethinking how we live?
Simple
What if a new way of building can enable easy upgrades and a longer lifespan?
Adaptive
What if we can create homes that respond to more ways of living?
Scalable
What if by rethinking the way we design, plan and finance homes, we could unlock housing for the many?
The experiment
Launching in 2023, the first manifestation of Living Places will be displayed at the World Capital of Architecture in the heart of Copenhagen. The exhibition will contain seven prototypes – five open pavilions and two completed homes – showcasing our proposition for healthy low carbon homes and communities. Each prototype will have its own specific program, curated to show the synergy between how we live in homes, in communities, and the role of buildings herein.
News
Living Places Copenhagen Grand Opening on Earth Day
The VELUX Group and our partners invite you to celebrate Earth Day at Living Places Copenhagen.
Living Places at the World Capital of Architecture
The UNESCO - UIA World Capital of Architecture 2023 officially launched at the Copenhagen City Hall. Living Places Copenhagen is a proud partner project opening in spring 2023.
Living Places Copenhagen first learnings
The partnership behind Living Places Copenhagen, which in practice will demonstrate the way to three times lower CO2 footprint than today's standard in construction.
Topping Out at Living Places Copenhagen
The partnership behind Living Places Copenhagen marked an important milestone with a Topping Out ceremony for the project on 18 November.
Reducing the overall enviroment impact
Starting from the ground up – each building component has also been optimized for the best constellation of price, indoor climate and carbon footprint with a special focus given to the envelope of the building where significant CO2 savings can be achieved
Living Places is now third party verified
At Building Green Copenhagen, Lone Feifer, architect and Director of Sustainable Buildings at VELUX shared the official carbon footprint of Living Places.
Living Places Copenhagen is now in production
Together with our partners EFFEKT, MOE and Enemærke & Petersen a/s, we have started producing the seven Living Places prototypes
Living Places at Building Green Copenhagen
On November 3rd, Lone Feifer, Director of Sustainable Buildings will take the main stage at Building Green Copenhagen