CPH Highline

Create user satisfaction with the right choices

CPH Highline is placed in Copenhagen and a great example of an office building for the future. Skanska prioritised work environment, health and wellbeing from the start. Skanska wants to have to employees experiencing up to 5 per cent higher efficiency thanks to the good indoor climate. The ambition can be achieved with a diffuse ventilation system. It’s a solution to make simpler and more flexible indoor climate based upon air ducts or water-borne cooling systems.
The emphasis on the indoor environment, the diffuse ventilation system and the building methods ensured CPH Highline the DGNB certification.
DGNB is a certification based on a holistic approach to achieve more sustainable and green buildings. Project Manager, Jesper Brandt from Skanska explains: “Diffuse ventilation requires a suspended ceiling but in addition there are no major restrictions. Perhaps most importantly is that the users experience a higher degree of satisfaction with the indoor climate.”

The ceiling surface function as one large luminaire

With the choice of using diffuse ventilation solution, Skanska looked for a ceiling solution that could manage and function as one. The choice fell on Rockfon acoustic ceilings as they can function as a luminaire, where cooled fresh air is blown over the ceiling tiles to create an overpressure and then fresh air seeps down into the rooms through the acoustic ceiling tiles.
Rockfon Technical Manager, Carsten Christiansen explains: “In this way, you can utilise the natural thermal buoyancy in the room to create an even and stable air exchange without different temperature zones, draft nuisances or buzzing noise from mechanical ventilation. In principle, the entire ceiling surface functions as one large supply luminaire.”
Skanska Project Manager, Jesper Brandt has previously worked with diffuse ventilation in a similar office building and he has no doubt that the principle could be used in many more projects than the situation right now. Among other things, he sees great potential as it’s possible to control the temperature more precisely:
“You can ensure that the air is infiltrated to only 16-17 degrees which is not possible with other systems. It enables you to easily achieve the optimal room temperature of around 20-22 degrees as well as it’s evenly distributed throughout the room. This is especially an advantage in a large office space environment where there can be a big difference in a load of people in meeting rooms, office spaces and corridors during the day.”

Optimise the ventilation and gain better user satisfaction

With the installation of diffuse ventilation, we achieve positive feedback from our users. It’s about how they experience far fewer drafts and fewer inconveniences due to temperature differences and noise. This is surprisingly positive even though even have not made any real measurements that can confirm the experiences. But Jesper Brandt is convinced that we will see far more projects with diffuse ventilation in the future.

Design and install in an easy way

As the main contractor, KPC is responsible for installing the ventilation system in CPH Highline. Project Manager from KPC, Peter Steen Hansen points out that the solution has several advantages when you look at the execution and the financial parameters:
“It’s easier to design and install diffuse ventilation in comparison with other ventilation systems. As there are fewer ducts to carry around in already cramped spaces above the ceilings.”
In addition to diffuse ventilation that optimises the indoor climate, CPH Highline offers a large number of facilities that must support an attractive and healthy work environment. The facilities include a yoga studio, a gym, recreational green areas as well as the rooftop terrace that houses an orangery.