As part of the program for the 28th UIA World Congress of Architects, Copenhagen’s new event venue, The Greenhouse, has been inaugurated. For over a hundred years, the greenhouse fostered plants in Copenhagen’s Botanical Gardens. On the brink of demolition, it was saved, moved, rebuilt, and then officially designated UN Sustainable Development Goal Pavilion with ambitions to go through the (glass) ceiling fostering ideas and togetherness in all sorts of functions and events for up to a hundred people.

In the heart of Copenhagen, still amidst unspoiled nature and train tracks, you find Copenhagen’s innovative green oasis: BaneGaarden. Here, nine restored wooden barns from 1909 provide unique settings for gastronomic and cultural experiences, learning, conferences, events, and dinners for up to 650 participants.

BaneGaarden recently opened the doors to an additional venue, The Greenhouse (Væksthuset). The first event guests in the see-to-sky building were some of the 10,000 architects, urban planners, building professionals and decision-makers in Copenhagen these days attending The UIA World Congress of Architects under the theme ‘Sustainable Futures – leave no one behind.’

The congress is the most significant event during Unesco’s World Capital of Architecture Year, which Copenhagen hosts throughout 2023. Also, part of the program is 15 official SDG pavilions, the 200 square metre Greenhouse being one of them. Where plants used to grow, green ideas and activities will now flourish in a setting combining nature, culture, and architecture throughout 2023 and beyond. Carl Johan Paulsen, Director and Partner at BaneGaarden, says:

“The Greenhouse project highlights the need and potential of green, educational, and recreative spaces in the hearts of our cities. It’s designed as a learning space promoting sustainable budling practice and future thinking – a stunning setting with an overload of natural daylight where people can get together and reconnect with nature and each other just 15 minutes from Copenhagen’s City Hall Square.”

For those wishing to combine their event in The Greenhouse with side events, larger dinners, or parties, BaneGaarden offers multiple possibilities. Planners can book an educational session with BaneGaarden’s ‘growth academy’, explore the buildings with an architect, or indulge in high-quality food from the property’s restaurants, street food stalls and gourmet bakery – all organic and homemade.

BaneGaarden and The Greenhouse is open throughout the year and is easily reached in less than 15 minutes, whether you come from the city centre or the airport.

Facts about the construction of The Greenhouse 

The Greenhouse is constructed based on the same principles as when the restoration of BaneGaarden’s barns began in 2019. Instead of simply building a new property, an old building was renovated and restored using materials from Genbyg (a recycling organisation). By rethinking the way, we construct, significant reductions in CO₂ emissions can be achieved. This, among other things, means:

  • Instead of a traditional concrete foundation, The Greenhouse is erected on an earth screw foundation which is less environmentally burdensome and allows the building to be disassembled and, in principle, relocated.
  • The original wooden structure and as much glass as possible have been preserved. 
  • The floor is made from recycled bricks from an old multi-activity centre in Copenhagen (Grøndalscenteret). 
  • The Greenhouse is insulated with a grain of wood and clay, which promotes both acoustics and indoor climate. 

About the Sustainable Development Goal Pavilions 
The Greenhouse is one of 15 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Pavilions – signature projects for Unesco’s Architecture Capital 2023 and the UAI World Congress of Architects in Copenhagen – initiated and launched in collaboration with the Danish Association of Architects, the Municipality of Copenhagen, and By & Havn the corporation for the development of City and Port. Under the overarching theme for the congress – ‘Sustainable Futures – Leave No One Behind’ – Copenhagen and the pavilions will be home to a series of events exploring how architecture and urban planning can contribute to achieving the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

About UIA World Congress 2023
The UIA World Congress 2023 invites architects and professionals from the building and planning communities to join forces in Copenhagen to back the UN 17 Sustainable Goals, innovate and discover sustainable solutions, and enable a leap towards accomplishing the goals by 2030. The UIA World Congress takes place every third year with 10,000–15,000 participants worldwide. The congress comprises keynote speakers, lectures and seminars, research presentations, study trips, exhibitions, public cultural events, and much more.