Circularity in Action: 2024 Copenhagen Delegation
Our first United States Sustainability Delegation to Europe led us to Copenhagen, Denmark and Malmö, Sweden to explore how organizations in these cities cultivate spaces for sustainable innovation, advance circularity, and co-create healthy, livable communities.
Our delegation of 19 professionals from ten states — representing various industries, including architecture, public policy, deconstruction, education, urban farming, and more — explored how Scandinavian cities are pushing green and social innovation. The seven-day program took place from April 14 to 21, 2024.
Day 1 - Copenhagen: Arrival
We kicked off the trip with a lunch at Gro Spiseri, a year-round communal eatery and urban farm in the Lyngbyvej Øst/Klimakvarteret district of Copenhagen. Gro Spiseri maintains their own rooftop garden, including a chicken coop, that directly supplies their seasonal menu with an emphasis on fresh produce and seafood.
Later, we enjoyed a 2-hour walking tour of the Nordhavn harbor district led by the Danish Architecture Center. Once a heavy industrial port area through the early 1990s, Nordhavn is now a dynamic, mixed-use neighborhood full of restaurants, apartments, design and architecture studios, and and of course, the waterfront. The master plan for Nordhavn prioritizes the retention and adaptation of existing industrial warehouses and heritage buildings, thoughtful and high-performing new construction, and people-centered transportation including diverse public spaces, promenades, bicycle infrastructure, and metro stations. At its core, Nordhavn is conceived as an “urban archipelago” or a series of dense neighborhoods on the water.
Despite the windy weather, we took advantage of the playground on top of the Lüders Parking House: a great example of how car-centric infrastructure can be rethought and intentionally designed to become a public amenity. We also stopped by one of Copenhagen’s many neighborhood recycling centers where residents can donate gently-used items to be re-loved by other neighbors.
Additional highlights of the tour included Frihavns Tower (Praksis, 2017), Nordøen (Tredje Natur, Vilhelm Lauritzen, 2024), The Silo (Cobe, 2017), and the headquarters of worldwide architecture firm BIG (BIG, 2023).
Day 2 - Copenhagen: Ecosystem Introduction and Bicycle City Tour
In the morning, we gathered at State of Green’s office in the heart of Copenhagen for presentations from State of Green, the City of Copenhagen, and Kalundborg Symbiosis. As the official green brand for Denmark, State of Green works to strengthen international awareness of the solutions and competences of Danish business and industry within energy, water, climate adaptation, and environment.
Monica Magnussen, the City of Copenhagen’s Head of International Affairs, presented on the history of Copenhagen’s transformation from a highly industrial port city to a global example of how a city can design for the health and wellbeing of its residents. A key takeaway from Monica’s presentation was the concept of communicating through infrastructure. Copenhagen officials frequently are asked by countries worldwide how they ‘make’ their residents ride bicycles as their (overwhelmingly) primary mode of transportation. Monica’s response: we make it an easy choice through them, through our infrastructure!
The City of Kalundborg is located on the western coast of Denmark, a little over an hour from Copenhagen. It’s home to Kalundborg Symbiosis: the world’s leading industrial symbosis, which creates profits through a circular approach to production. Several companies are co-located on a shared campus, sharing resources and spurring innovation to maximize resource use — including production byproducts that would typically be labeled as ‘waste’ in other regions.
In the afternoon, we took a four-hour guided bike tour of the city, exploring green spaces, innovative social infrastructure, and key urban redevelopments, including the Carlsberg District, the former headquarters of the worldwide famous brewery. Cycling through the city with a local was the perfect way for us to get a deeper understanding of several of the city’s neighborhoods - many which we would explore more in-depth in subsequent days.
Day 3 - Copenhagen: Full Day BLOXHUB Immersion
Our third day was all about circularity and sustainability at the city scale. We started at the heart of the waterfront at BLOXHUB, the Nordic hub for sustainable urbanization. BLOXHUB was founded on the belief that the challenges of global urbanization and climate change require new ways of collaboration. The BLOX building houses the organization itself, co-working spaces for several of their 350+ member organizations, residences, a gym, and the Danish Architecture Center. Here, we had several presentations from local experts making regional and worldwide impact in the built environment:
Ditte Lysgaard Vind, BLOXHUB - "Circularity and transformation in the built environment"
Lene Damsbo Brix, Circue - "How to compete with linear construction"
Enlai Hooi, SHL - Schmidt Hammer Lassen - "Future technologies for urban sustainability and livability"
After expert presentations on circularity and transformation in the built environment, future urban sustainability and livability technologies, urban design thinking and co-creation principles, our delegation participated in an immersive workshop led by Lotte Christina Breengaard. The primary challenges emerging were urban sprawl, affordable housing, and adaptive, inclusive infrastructure. Affordable housing remains a top priority, underscored as a fundamental human right. Drawing inspiration from innovative models like those in the Netherlands, our group highlighted strategies to enhance housing accessibility and comfort for all.
Later, we ventured into the unique self-governing community of Christiania, and finished the evening off with a lovely communal dinner at Hotel Kanalhuset.
Day 4 - Copenhagen: Tours of Special Projects & Infrastructure
We spent our fourth day touring special projects and infrastructure in different parts of Copenhagen. We started with a 3-hour walking tour of the Ørestad neighborhood, which features keystone projects like Resource Rows, Upcycled Studios, UN17 Village, and 8 House.
Next, we got a behind the scenes tour of the ongoing development of Fælledby, Copenhagen's first all-timber neighborhood. Actively under construction, our delegation got the special opportunity to visit the development’s showroom/office that doubles as a lab for nature-based materials they're testing for use onsite and in future projects.
Lastly, we visited the iconic CopenHill Waste-to-Energy Plant. This remarkable facility not only harnesses energy from waste but also serves as an recreation spot, most notably skiing without snow. We toured both the hill itself and the plant inside, watching the facility’s energy generation in real time. Fun fact: Copenhagen’s facility is so efficient and can handle such a high volume that several countries in the European Union import their waste to Copenhagen - which is a more overall sustainable option compared to landfilling materials in the host country, when considering the waste’s entire lifecycle and the detrimental impacts of prolonged methane gas released from open and closed landfills. This is another example of a commitment to collaboration amongst peers even outside of Denmark’s borders.
Day 5 - Copenhagen: Tours of Special Projects & Infrastructure
Our tours of special projects continued with a morning visit to VELUX’s Living Places campus. This project is challenging the industry to create responsible and regenerative solutions that benefit both people and the planet. Plus, we got an exclusive look at Living Places Copenhagen—a partner project for the UIA World Congress of Architects CPH 2023—where every detail is designed for sustainability and human health.
Joining us for a guest visit was the CEO of Stykka, Jarl Engelbrecht Vindnæs. He shared a deep dive into their circular furniture designs which are revolutionizing the role of furniture in both residential and commercial contexts, especially kitchens, which they’ve reduced from 350+ component parts to around 60. Their digital twin tech platform makes repair and maintenance a breeze for users and prevents substantial amounts of waste. Keep on eye on this startup - they’re actively exploring entering the United States market!
Next, we spent the afternoon on another exceptional walking tour led by the Danish Architecture Center. Building on what we learned on our bike tour on Day 2, toured the Carlsberg City District where the former industrial buildings are now given new life, and are mixed with modern construction and climate protection. Their flood prevention infrastructure using green spaces and innovative playgrounds doubling as temporary water reservoirs during heavy rain was a great example of multi-use, low impact spaces that maximizes land usage in dense areas — all while adapting to climate change.
We finished the day off by exploring the Frederiksbergmuseerne's Cisternerne. This underground well was originally constructed as a water reservoir for the city and has been transformed into a vibrant contemporary art space, showcasing art installations within its unique subterranean setting. This year they used the space for a sound exhibition by artist Taryn Simon.
Day 6 - Day Trip to Malmö, Sweden
We ventured across the Øresund Bridge to learn more about the circularity efforts of Sweden’s third-largest city. We kicked off the day with a presentation from E.ON about smart energy grids. Through advanced grid technologies, automation, and digital solutions, EON optimizes energy efficiency, empowers consumers, and paves the way for a sustainable energy future for Sweden.
Next, Varvsstaden welcomed us to explore their cutting-edge "Material Bank," a dynamic database showcasing the site's materials while highlighting the environmental benefits of recycling and reuse. With a commitment to circular construction, Varvsstaden identified materials within their existing campus that can be repurposed in other buildings, mitigating the need (and cost) for brand new materials. They shared insights into their process for inventorying, dismantling, and storing materials, ensuring every step is transparent, accessible, and measurable.
We learned about the City of Malmö’s impressive system to catalog reusable materials from buildings across their real estate portfolio and utilize an online marketplace and multiple warehouse to internally reuse and publicly sell materials. The results are sizable GHG reduction and cost savings versus purchasing virgin materials.
At Malmö Citadellsgymnasium, we glimpsed the future of sustainable education. This newly established school offers students the chance to shape a greener tomorrow while building traditions that stand the test of time. Bricks and other materials were reused in the construction.
Lastly, we visited Form/Design Center, the leading platform for architecture, design, and crafts in southern Sweden. Designated by the government as a national node for designing living environments, sustainability is built into the core of much of their existing work. We received a wonderful presentation from the Director, Dorte Bo Bojesen, and a great tour of some of the current exhibits, including "Planetary Boundaries" from the Royal Danish Academy.
Day 7 - Copenhagen: Final Day
Our final day brought us to the Danish Design Museum, located in a repurposed 18th century hospital. The Design Museum features exhibits on Danish design exports in furniture, art, fixtures, and more, plus exhibits that explore the human experience, our relationship with the environment, and how current design approaches are shifting to better prioritize the planet first. Our lunch spot was Oscar Cafe, a key LBGTQ+ restaurant located steps from the museum, which serves one of Copenhagen’s most recognizable dishes: smørrebrød, or open-faced sandwiches.
In the afternoon, delegation members paired off in groups for a casual day exploring additional places of interest, including thrift stores, several of Copenhagen’s major public parks and landmarks, and even a sauna on the waterfront. We convened for one last dinner together at Vækst, located in the old Latin Quarter. Vækst is part of a larger restaurant collaborative called Cofoco and celebrates local produce in a beautiful space designed to mimic a greenhouse.
From Tamira Samuel, 2024 delegation member:
“For the past 1-2 weeks, I've reflected on the questions from The House of Green presentations, ‘What makes a good life? Who is responsible?’ While there are many answers, and some would argue money and success make a good life with responsibility starting at the individual level to the government.
When I think back over this journey - and my entire life - of what makes a good life...there is ONE answer...
PEOPLE.
I have talked about some of the values and beliefs of the Danish that make their lifestyle easy for many to adjust to. But that is only one aspect of community.
People determine what is of value, share beliefs, customs, traditions, and principles. People make the communities in which they dwell in and are a part of. People build cities. People make the moments that we exist in minute after minute, hour after hour. As the Danish Form/Design School stated, ‘People have been sustaining their lives for thousands of years through innovation - we are not inventing or doing anything new if we look back through history.’
David Suzuki, an environmental activist said, ‘The future doesn't exist. The only thing that exists is now and our memory of what happened in the past. But because we invented the idea of a future, we're the only animal that realized we can affect the future by what we do today,’ our choices as individual people and as a collective impact our ability to sustain the lives that will lead and for who comes after us.
I'm blessed that our delegation of 18 incredible professionals across the U.S. from 10+ states come from different backgrounds, ideologies, and perspectives. We had architects, elected officials, industry leaders in waste and recycle management, climate change, fossil fuels, sustainability development, construction development, and more all with ONE goal in mind to make our cities and communities BETTER for the PEOPLE who live and dwell in them.
This experience and our day to day lives are better because of the PEOPLE who are a part of them in every form - past, present, and future.”
About Sustainability Delegations
Circular San Antonio’s Sustainability Delegations offer an opportunity for sustainability professionals to participate in immersive experiences in European cities that are focused on shaping greener, more sustainable urban environments. Open to professionals from all US states and territories, delegation trips cultivate transdisciplinary relationships with peers across the United States that represent geographic, cultural, and professional diversity. Our curated tours allow participants to engage with their counterparts in Europe, establishing transatlantic connections and relationships that can support collaborative efforts on both sides of the Atlantic.
We are now accepting applications for Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 delegations! We will be traveling to Munich, Germany, October 13 - 20, 2024, and returning to Copenhagen in Spring 2025. Apply now to secure your spot.