View source for 8 House

{{Short description|Mixed-use development in Copenhagen, Denmark}}
[[File:BIG - 8 House.jpg|thumb|8 House, Ørestad]]
'''8 House''' ({{langx|da|8TALLET}}),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Think BIG |url=https://www.8tallet.dk/building |access-date=2023-10-29 |website=8TALLET |language=en-US}}</ref> also known as '''Big House''', is a large [[mixed-use development]] built in the shape of a [[8 (number)|figure 8]] on the southern perimeter of the new suburb of [[Ørestad]] in [[Copenhagen]], Denmark. Designed by [[Bjarke Ingels]], founding partner of the [[Bjarke Ingels Group]] (BIG), the bow-shaped building consists of 61,000 square metres of three different types of residential housing and 10,000 square metres of retail premises and offices. It is the largest private development ever undertaken in Denmark. Commissioned by Store Frederikslund Holding, Høpfner A/S and Danish Oil Company A/S in 2006, it is Ingels' third housing development in Ørestad, following [[VM Houses]] and [[Mountain Dwellings]].<ref name=archd>[http://www.archdaily.com/83307/8-house-big/ "8 House / BIG"], ''Arch Daily''. Retrieved 11 October 2012.</ref>
==Design==
[[File:Ørestaden 8-tallet2.JPG|thumb|8 House]]
Referring to his second example of "architectural alchemy", Bjarke Ingels explains his idea "that by mixing traditional ingredients, retail, rowhouses and apartments in untraditional ways, you create added value, if not gold."<ref>[http://www.uli.org/global-awards-for-excellence/8-house-2012-global-award-for-excellence-finalist/ "8 House&nbsp;– 2012 Global Award for Excellence Finalist"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304224202/http://uli.org/global-awards-for-excellence/8-house-2012-global-award-for-excellence-finalist/ |date=2016-03-04 }}, ''Urban Land Institute''. Retrieved 11 October 2012.</ref> This is achieved by stacking the various ingredients of an urban neighbourhood into layers. They are connected by a promenade and a cycle track which reach up to the 10th floor, allowing businesses and housing to co-exist.<ref name=archd/>
Thomas Christoffersen, BIG's partner in charge of the project, described the approach in more detail: <blockquote>The apartments are placed at the top while the commercial programme unfolds at the base of the building. As a result, the different horizontal layers have achieved a quality of their own: the apartments benefit from the view, sunlight and fresh air, while the office leases merge with life on the street. This is emphasised by the shape of 8 House which is literally hoisted up in the northeast corner and pushed down at the southwest corner, allowing light and air to enter the southern courtyard.<ref name=archd/></blockquote>
The scheme was based on the typology of a perimeter block but was squeezed in the middle to form a bowtie shape with two courtyards. At the centre, there is a 10-metre-wide passage connecting the surrounding spaces, the park area to the west and the channel area to the east.<ref>[http://www.aia.org/practicing/awards/2012/architecture/8House/index.htm "8 House"], ''The American Institute of Architects''. Retrieved 11 October 2012.</ref> The retail and commercial area at the base consists of a café, a day-care centre and offices, while the living space with houses, apartments and penthouses is positioned above. The sloping, 10-storey building provides views over the fields and marshes of [[Kalvebod Faelled]] to the south. The unusual ramp looping around the complex is designed to foster a sense of community, encouraging interaction between neighbours.<ref>[http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/portfolio/2011/08/8-House.asp "8 House: Bjarke Ingels Group"], ''Architectural Record''. Retrieved 11 October 2012.</ref><ref name=HP/>
==Assessment==
In granting the 2011 Housing Winner award, the [[World Architecture Festival]] jury commented: "The 8 House in the Copenhagen quarter of Orestad is an exemplar project. It combines retail, commercial row houses and apartments in untraditional ways, and its elevated street provides a new level of social engagement."<ref>[http://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com/news-detail.cfm?newsId=223 "Housing winner: 8 House, Denmark"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120830175940/http://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com/news-detail.cfm?newsId=223 |date=2012-08-30 }}, ''World Architecture Festival''. Retrieved 12 October 2012.</ref>
The [[American Institute of Architects]] jury for the 2012 Honor Awards stated: <blockquote>The 8 House masterfully recreates the horizontal social connectivity and interaction of the streets of a village neighborhood through a series of delightful accessible ramps in a mixed use, multifamily housing project. The skillful shaping of the mass of the facility provides an invigorating sculptural form while creating the ramped "pedestrian" street system and providing full depth dwelling units which are filled with light and views. People really "live" in this newly created neighborhood with shopping, restaurants, an art gallery, office facilities, childcare, educational facilities and the sound of children playing. This is a complex and exemplary project of a new typology.<ref name=AIA/></blockquote>
==Awards==
* Housing Building of the Year at the 2011 [[World Architecture Festival]].<ref>[http://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com/news-detail.cfm?newsId=224 "Day two winners announced"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111114232106/http://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com/news-detail.cfm?newsId=224 |date=2011-11-14 }}, ''World Architecture Festival''. Retrieved 11 October 2012.</ref>
*The 2012 American Institute of Architects Honor Award for Architecture that recognises achievements that elevate the general quality of the architectural practice.<ref name=AIA>[http://www.dac.dk/en/service-sider/news/2012/januar/aia-award-2012-for-bigs-8-house/ "AIA Award 2012 for BIG's 8 House"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140525195648/http://www.dac.dk/en/service-sider/news/2012/januar/aia-award-2012-for-bigs-8-house/ |date=2014-05-25 }}, ''DAC''. Retrieved 11 October 2012.</ref>
*''[[The Huffington Post]]'' included 8 House as one of the "10 Best Architecture Moments of 2001-2010."<ref name=HP>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-slevin/10-best-architecture-mome_b_798929.html#s212795&title=8_House Jacob Slevin, "10 Best Architecture Moments of 2001-2010"], ''Huffington Post'', 23 December 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2012.</ref>
*The best green roof in Scandinavia award," from The Scandinavian Green Roof Association, for "clear and conscious use of the green roof, successfully integrating it into the visual identify of the building."<ref>[http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/9/view/11232/big-architects-8-house-wins-green-award.html "BIG architects: 8 house wins green award"], ''Designboom''. Retrieved 11 October 2012.</ref>
==Gallery==
<gallery class="center" widths=170px heights=140px>
Image:Ørestad - 8 House.jpg|
Image:8 House - passageway.jpg|
Image:8 House.jpg|
</gallery>
==See also==
*''[[The Infinite Happiness]]'' a feature-length film by [[Ila Bêka]] & Louise Lemoine
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==Further reading==
* Bjarke Ingels, ''Yes is More: An Archicomic on Architectural Evolution'' (exhibition catalogue), Copenhagen 2009, {{ISBN|9788799298808}}
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[[Category:Apartment buildings in Copenhagen]]
[[Category:Residential buildings completed in 2010]]
[[Category:Bjarke Ingels buildings]]
[[Category:2000s architecture in Denmark]]