Copenhagen Energy HQ in the Ørestad.

In 2004, Copenhagen Energy moved from Vognmagergade in the centre of Copenhagen to newly built headquarters in Ørestad. They wanted a sun shield on the building’s western facade for the office and conference facilities. The sun shield could have comprised traditional slats, but we chose instead to use integrated solar panels in glass strips designed specifically for the task. Gaia Solar was chosen to produce the installation and the solution became a combination of 40% dummy panels and 60% solar panel strips due to the fact that part of the solar panels closest to the loggia would be in the shade some of the time (due to concrete protrusion). Strips were made with acid etched backs and silkscreen on the front where the solar cells were located. Thus, both the dummy and the solar cells pro-vide the same visual impression both internally and externally. The mounting system was developed in partnership with Schmidt, Hammer & Lassen and reused in later projects. A total of 3600 solar panels were installed at the HQ in Ørestad and Gaia Solar completed the installation in just 2 ½ weeks. This was the largest plant on an industrial buil-ding in Denmark at the time and is thus a textbook example of optimal use of solar panels visually, architectonically and economically as a part of a sun shield.