Denmark’s first CO2-neutral kindergarten clad in steel profiles

Gladsaxe Municipality, the first UN sustainable development goals municipality in the Nordic region, in collaboration with BBP Arkitekter, has created Denmark’s first-ever CO2-neutral kindergarten. Børnehuset Grønnegården is Nordic Swan Ecolabel-certified and CO²-neutral. The building meets nine out of the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals and is “green” in all respects, with solar cells installed on the roof, and recycled brick, wood and recyclable steel profiles made from Green Coat^® steel used in the construction work.

The outdoor areas have also been established for the purpose of increasing local biodiversity. This truly is a centre where sustainability does not mean compromising on the indoor environment, lighting or the atmosphere enjoyed by the daily ‘residents’ of Børnehuset Grønnegården, i.e. the children, the adults and the animals.

DS Rib Sheet emphasises farmhouse idyll

Architecturally, you experience a farmhouse idyll, and the kindergarten is designed in context with the “Den Gamle Grønnegård” (Old Green Farm), which is one of Gladsaxe’s few remaining pre-20th century farms. The past and the present are united through the choice of material, which has been brought up-to-date with contemporary sustainable replacements. DS Rib Sheet 22-270 matches the farm setting, and is also one of the steel profiles that has long proved itself a popular choice for agriculture buildings. The profile is also contemporary with sustainable steel, produced from organic Swedish rape seed oil and 100% recyclable.

“Painting” with steel profiles in matching colours

The steel sheets are available in more than twenty natural-looking colours, which perfectly match the Scandinavian building tradition. If required, other individual colour mixes can be selected. This project used Silver, because it complements the other materials chosen – e.g. DS Gutters and DS Flashing are also available in the same Silver colour.

The colour palette for the entire project was designed by visual artist Malene Bach – it highlights the architecture and is intended to stimulate the children’s play and development.