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 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.

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.

This feature was originally published in dezeen.com.