Danish hotel to add a carbon-negative extension

Hotel GSH's new addition will use passive design to provide ventilation in what is being called Denmark's first carbon-negative building

Spotted: Hotel GSH, located on the Danish island of Bornholm, is building an extension which they claim will be Denmark’s first carbon-negative building. Carbon-negative buildings are designed to absorb more carbon than they consume during their lifetime. The structure was designed by architecture studio 3XN and its sister studio GXN. The new wing includes 24 rooms, a conference centre and a rooftop spa.

To achieve a carbon negative structure, the extension will be built using a cross-laminated timber structure, insulated with wood fibres and clad in wooden panels. The building will use passive design to provide ventilation – the skylight windows and open areas will eliminate the need for mechanical cooling. The building components are also designed for reuse with reversible joints, to reduce waste.

Waste will also be reduced by building furniture from the wood offcuts of construction and debris from local granite quarries. Solar energy will provide heating for the water, and renewable energy will be used for power. 

Kasper Guldager Jensen, a partner at 3XN, explains the thinking behind the project as a demonstration of how buildings can and should be designed for the future, saying, “If we in Denmark want to be able to achieve our climate goals, the construction industry needs to think and act differently, and there is, therefore, a great need for lighthouse projects like this. … Hotel GSH will provide a blueprint for a climate positive future and this experience is a destination worth travelling for, which ultimately makes it a good business for our client.”

Hotel GSH’s extension may be Denmark’s first carbon-negative building, but a number of architecture firms and companies are working hard to develop other carbon-negative structures. At Springwise, we have covered innovations such as flat pack carbon-negative homes and energy-neutral floating offices.

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