A project in Copenhagen, from CRH Concrete, offers a compelling model for smarter, faster construction.
Grønttorvet, a former wholesale market for fruit, vegetables, and flowers, was transformed into a modern, vibrant neighborhood featuring more than 3,000 homes, including rental, and cooperative apartments, as well as housing for youth and seniors, in an attempt to provide more affordable housing to the city’s residents.
CRH Concrete in Denmark contributed significantly to the success of the innovative project, supplying all concrete elements for the residential buildings and leveraging industrialized construction techniques.
The prefabrication of key construction elements or modules off-site eliminates delays from uncontrolled variables like weather or scope changes. The building sections are then transported to the construction site for quicker assembly.
In the case of Grønttorvet, CRH provided prefabricated partitions, hollow core slabs, wall panels, beams, columns, stairs, balcony slabs, and sandwich façade elements. The factory-mounted modular components accelerated on-site assembly, while the benefits of the modular sandwich façade elements also meant the buildings could be enclosed and heated as soon as the last element is installed, saving costs and optimizing the project schedule.
The number of housing units continues to expand, with a new project commissioned every three months. Although the solution is replicated, this requires a high production and design capacity, and seamless continuation from one project to the next.
At the project’s completion, CRH will be responsible for supporting the delivery of 23 building plots in total and have also been selected as the critical partner for two further projects.
The Grønttorvet project demonstrates that underutilized urban spaces can be revitalized into thriving residential communities through smart design construction.
With the help of innovative industrialized construction techniques, this replicable model may prove successful as a quick and efficient solution to housing shortfalls the world over.
