GRAPHĒ: You Can Ski All Year Round at Denmark’s New Power Plant

Copenhagen just cut the ribbon on a new waste-to-energy power plant—and you can ski down it.

Copenhill uses Copenhagen’s trash to produce electricity and radiant heating.

After six years of construction, Copenhill is now open for business. It’s a ski slope, a massive green space, a playground, and a climbing wall—but mostly it doubles down on Copenhagen’s goal of going carbon neutral by the year 2030.

The fabricated green mountain—also known as Amager Bakke—is a waste-to-energy power plant that converts trash into electricity for the city. It also pumps water warmed by that process to nearby homes as radiant heating—and it will serve nearly 98% of Copenhagen’s homes across five municipalities.

The plant—designed by Bjarke Ingels Group and design firm SLA—is a multiuse attraction for locals and visitors alike. It features Denmark’s highest vertical ski drop, the world’s tallest climbing wall, and a massive green space that hosts birds, bees, trees, and plants.

Photo by Aldo Amoretti

Waste facilities are often eyesores, but Bjarke Ingels Group—who this year alone unveiled Norway’s The Twist and France’s MÉCA—partnered with design firm SLA on a waste management concept that ties into the waterfront.

"The goal is to ensure that [the park] will become an eventful recreational public space with a strong aesthetic and sensuous city nature that gives value for all Copenhageners all year round," says Rasmus Astrup, a partner at design firm SLA.