Copenhagen International School

Half of the school’s energy consumption is supplied by solar panels in the facade. The new international school exemplifies sustainability in every detail.

On a peninsula in Nordhavn, the 12,000 solar panels across Copenhagen International School’s (CIS) 6,048m2 façade are a statement in shimmering aquamarine to the contribution that contemporary architecture can make to sustainability.

CIS’s new home combines its two former campuses and accommodates 300 extra pupils. Its new 1,200 capacity makes it the largest primary school in Copenhagen.

Leaning towards science and tech, it’s fitting that it actively supports Copenhagen’s ambition to be the world’s cleanest energy city by 2025. Here, motion sensors trigger LED lighting; toilets utilise secondary water; natural materials are used to reduce chemical emissions; and measured CO2 adjusts airflow.

The building’s fish-scale-like façade produces half the energy it consumes, also working to conserve energy with angling windows that reduce solar glare. Never forgetting CIS’s purpose, in the classrooms behind these panes, the pupils study the resulting energy data.

Its four towers are each designed around the age groups in the school’s zero-to-12 grade span, giving each child a 100-person community within a larger establishment. Below them are social spaces including gym facilities, a theatre, a library and an educational kitchen. Two ‘islands’ for water sports and experiential learning are also planned.