As the first urban area in Denmark, Copenhagen’s new urban area, Bellakvarter, has received the mid-term certification DGNB Gold – an international standard for sustainable construction and urban development. Bellakvarter received the mid-term certification after 25% of the neighborhood has been built and thus lies at the forefront of sustainable urban development in Denmark.

With initiatives such as climate-adapted solutions, sustainable infrastructure, renewable energy supply and waste management and recycling, Bellakvarter has achieved Gold in a DGNB mid-term certification. An official stamp of the neighborhood’s work on sustainability for the benefit of residents, businesses and visitors to the urban area.

Solstra Development, which develops Bellakvarter, creates a total of 2,400 new homes and 6,500 new jobs and, based on the certification, looks forward to the continued development of Copenhagen’s new urban district, where the next step is an international and sustainable business area.

“We are very happy with the mid-term certification. It is an important step in the further development of the neighborhood. We are building a solid and sustainable urban neighborhood for the benefit of Copenhagen many years into the future, and we also look forward to creating sustainable office domiciles and multi-user homes in our upcoming business area, Bella Business,” says Søren Raae Teisen, Development Director at Solstra Development.

In December 2019, Sampension invested 67 per cent in Bellakvarter, while MP Pension acquired a 33 per cent ownership of the project.

“Sustainability is part of our DNA, and the high level of ambition for sustainability in the creation of Bellakvarter – a new sought-after urban space in Copenhagen – has greatly contributed to the attractiveness of the entire investment case,” says Jens CEO, Jens Munch Holst.

Urbanisation requires more sustainable urban development

The master plan for Bellakvarter was created by Solstra Development in close collaboration between Cobe and Vilhelm Lauritzen Arkitekter.

“Bellakvarter is the first urban area in Denmark, which has realized the sustainable ambitions of an almost completed, mixed urban neighborhood. There is a huge influx of cities around the world, so it is important that new urban areas take the lead and show how we can live more
sustainable together. We hope that Bellakvarter will be able to inspire other urban areas to also document their green ambitions, ”says Thomas Scheel, architect and partner of Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects and Dan Stubbergård, architect and founder of Cobe.

The DGNB certification is based on a holistic understanding of sustainability, which is judged on the five criteria:

– environment
– technology
– process
– economic sustainability
– social sustainability

These criteria helps to ensure a sustainable district and shape the framework for good urban life, and here Bellakvarter with the DGNB midway certification is the front runner.

It is the ambition of the team that Bellakvarter will be fully DGNB Gold certified when completed.