Recycled concrete, repurposed double-glazing and discarded flooring boards were all used in the construction of Upcycle Studios, a Copenhagen housing development designed by Lendager Group.

Danish architecture studio Lendager Group built the series of 20 new townhouses in the Ørestad district of Denmark's capital city.

All of the wood was sourced from Danish manufacture Dinesen, which would otherwise have discharged and burned part of the material, while windows were sourced from old buildings that had been renovated.

Plus a total of 850 tonnes of concrete was cast on site, using refuse from the construction of the Copenhagen Metro.

"To solve the climate crisis, we need to develop not only sustainable but regenerative solutions,"  said Lendager Group, which aims to promote a circular economy across its architecture projects.

"Upcycle Studios shows how we can decouple growth from emissions by looking at waste as a resource. We can build sustainable buildings without having to compromise on quality, aesthetics or price."

To the street, each long, thin house presents a large glazed facade with a geometric wooden frame, looking into a double-height reception space.

A protruding first floor cuts into this to create a small mezzanine, while a second-floor bedroom space cantilevers out slightly, creating a contrasting wood-clad sawtooth profile along the run of houses.

The diagonal orientation of each home become more apparent at the rear, where the staggered formation is emphasised by thick concrete walls separating each property.

Between these dividing walls sit each house's driveway, as well as a garage, below a large window into the living spaces above.

"The houses are designed to be spacious and to help promote sustainable living, creating a good indoor climate and making sharing easier," said the architecture studio.

"Some areas can be used as offices and others as rental accommodation, or for workshops and other user-defined needs."

Roof gardens and solar panels add the potential for the houses to be self-sufficient, helping to allow for a "circular" way of life in tune with the building, which the architects hope residents will adopt.

"Upcycle Studios potentially reduces the total Co2 emissions over 50 years by about 60 per cent," Lendager Group added. "This not only makes it the circular home of tomorrow – it also becomes a pioneer housing project with a design that incentivises sustainable living."

Lendager Group recently revealed plans for a 35,000 square metre eco village in Ørestad South, also in Copenhagen, after winning a competition with Årstiderne Arkitekter.

Photography is by Rasmus Hjortshøj for COAST.

Project credits:

Partner in charge: Anders Lendager
Project manager: Jesper Højbjerg
Lendager team: Anette Orth Laybourm, Mathias Ruø Rasmussen, Nicholas Ransome, Niklas Nolsøe, Iben Nørkjær, Torben Vestergaard, Sunniva Garshol, Signe Balthazar Munk
Engineers: MOE
Client: NREP