Quiet spikes

This building project stands out – quite literally, in this case. The Kaktus Towers in Copenhagen not only make an architectural statement. They also show how important noise protection is in high-density construction.

The Danish capital is deservedly named the World Capital of Architecture in 2023. The Kaktus Towers – two high-rise residential buildings designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) – are a prime example of high-density construction. The hexagonal floor panels of the spiky towers are twisted on each level, giving residents a fantastic view of Copenhagen in addition to a private balcony.

High-density construction

At 60 and 80 metres in height and with 26,000 m² of floor space, the two towers are home to around 500 micro apartments. Measuring 33 and 53 m², the apartments are designed for single-person households, with a mixture of all generations the overall aim. A café, fitness centre and function room are all used as meeting places. In order to optimise the usable space, BIG relies on Geberit SuperTube. Thanks to the hydraulically optimised guidance of water in the drainage system, a parallel ventilation pipe can be dispensed with and more living space created.

Quiet drainage

Given the large number of residential units, noise protection is particularly important. As a result, minimising noise is a key aspect in the sanitary facilities. “In order to keep noise to a minimum when using the bathroom, BIG decided on the highly sound-insulating Silent-db20 drainage system from Geberit,” explains Allan Løve, Sales Director at the Geberit sales company in Denmark.