Sky Village

MVRDV and ADEPT Architects are the masterminds behind this incredible Sky
Village high rise. The high-rise incorporates lots of sustainable design elements
to reduce its environmental impact, and its main concept is centered around a
system of individual units that can be stacked in various configurations to
maximize available space and allow for easy structural changes in response to
market demand. MVRDV and ADEPT designed their Sky Village to include retail
and office space, housing units, a hotel, and a park around the base of the
building. Flexibility is one of the building’s key design elements, and its modular
composition allows property managers to alter its structure to suit tenants’
needs.
If a retailer wants more space or if the village needs more office or residential
units, “pixels” can be easily added to reconfigure the structure. Each pixel is
about 60 sq meters they all are arranged around a central core. The inclusion of
retail, restaurants, and offices in a residential development allows people the
ability to live where they work and play, making this in a true village, albeit a
vertical one.
The base of the village was kept small in order to minimize the building’s
footprint as well as to maximize the public plaza and adjacent park. Retail space
and restaurants take up the slim lower floors, offices are situated in the
intermediary levels, and residential units are terraced towards the north to give
the building a curved profile. These terraces give each residential unit a sky
garden with a sunny southern aspect. Finally a hotel sits at the top of the high
rise with views towards central Copenhagen.
The Sky Village also includes many wonderful green building elements, like
greywater recycling, 40% recycled concrete in the foundation, and the
structure’s façade will incorporate a variety of renewable energy technologies.
MVRDV’s second project in Copenhagen (after the Frøsilos) is meant to merge
the idea of the single family house and a village all into one vertical unit. The
building is shaped to resemble Copenhagen’s historical spire and will be the first
contemporary high-rise in the city.

Stacked Apartment House – Netherlands

In MVRDV's design for a multi-story apartment house in the Netherlands, the
apartment block stands in for a tree trunk and balconies resemble branches.
Trees are placed at the end of the balconies to reinforce the tree resemblance,
as well as help cool the building, filter surrounding air, and control water run-off.