GXN teamed with the owners of the Green Solution House to build both a successful business and a demonstration of circular sustainability.'Circular Sustainability is about seeing buildings as ecosystems. In practice, this means buildings that rely on renewable energy and collect rainwater, purify wastewater and incorporate construction materials that can be recycled without being wasted,' says Kasper Guldager Jensen, Director of GXN.The renovation and expansion of this 4,500m2 hotel and conference center on the Danish island of Bornholm supports a positive, healthy footprint and aspires to eliminate the concept of waste by applying 75 sustainable solutions across all aspects of the project, from building materials and systems to energy generation and monitoring. GXN and our client designed the Green Solution House to evolve and improve over time. All products and technologies are, in principle, replaceable with their more sustainable counterparts thought the life of the building. Some of the many solutions currently employed in the project include:

- A pyrolysis plant heats food scraps and otherbiological waste, converting it natural gas forenergy and biochar, a residue used as fertilizer.

- Solar cells integrated into facades, glazedceilings and balconies generate electricity.

- Solar thermal plant incorporated into thelandscape generates additional hot water.

- Algae generators clean wastewater. Afterpassing through an initial undergroundclarification to remove solids, the water flowsthrough transparent tubes of algae that cleanthe water and absorb CO2. Cleaned water thenirrigates the gardens and green wall.

- System can process 500 liters of water/day.

- Interactive energy visualization, viadedicated monitors in the lobby, displays on- site energy production and consumption correlated to building zones.

- Two hotel rooms are designated ‘SmartRooms’ and feature a custom designed appthat tracks the impact of the guest’s stay,monitoring water and energy consumption,daylight levels, air quality, temperature andhumidity levels.

- Design supports the eventual recycling andreuse of building components; sees allconstruction projects as ‘material banks’ forfuture generations.

- Design prioritized accessible mechanicalfastenings, which are separable, overpermanent adhesives and other chemical fixes.

- Daylight tunnels, redirecting light channelsand skylights all bring light deep into thebuilding by means of a rotating reflector on theroof that captures sunlight and sends light intothe reception area.

- Conference hall gables are large north-facingglass, which draw natural light into the newmeeting areas to enhance attendee productivityand reduce use of electric lights.•New kinds of ‘cleaning products’: dust absorbingcarpets, wall panels that neutralizeformaldehyde, a green wall with local ferns thatcleans the air and balances humidity levels, roofmembrane that captures airborne particulatepollution from traffic by neutralizing nitric oxideparticles.

Reclaim, Reuse, Renovate•Remnants from demolished buildings comprisebase of new parking area.

- Existing buildings updated with energy efficientfacades and roofing

- Furniture, light fixtures and more wererenovated, repaired and reupholstered wheneverpossible

Year 2012

Work finished in 2012

Status Completed works

Type Conference Centres / Hotel/Resorts / Building Recovery and Renewal