The VM Houses, located in Ørestaden, Copenhagen, are a residential project designed with a distinct V and M shape. The buildings are strategically twisted and turned to maximize views and eliminate obstructed sightlines between blocks. The V house features balcony condos, while the M-house offers a modern take on Le Corbusier's Unite d’habitation with improved circulation and views. The unique wedge-shaped balconies on the south facade create a sense of community and connection among neighbors. With over 80 unique apartment types out of 225 units, the complex composition of the VM Houses resembles a three-dimensional game of Tetris. The buildings showcase large glass facades, elegant wood framing, solid oak wood floors, and white concrete walls and ceilings. Extensive daylight simulations were conducted to optimize views and solar orientation, ensuring every unit receives direct sunlight throughout the year.

The VM Houses, shaped like a V and an M when seen from the sky, is the first residential project that was built in the new district of Copenhagen known as Ørestaden. Through a series of transformations the block is opened up, and twisted and turned to ensure maximum views of the surrounding landscapes and suburbs, as well as eliminate the vis-a-vis between the blocks.

The V house is conceived as a balcony condo, the M-house as an Unite d’habitation version 2.0. But where Le Corbusier designed narrow flats surrounding hundreds of meters of dead end corridors, the zigzagging of the M-house ensures that all corridors have views and daylight in both directions. These openings transform the circulation into an attractive social space. For the south façade facing the park we designed a new type of balcony- a wedge shaped plane that combines minimum shade with maximum cantilever. On a warm summer afternoon, the wall of balconies form a vertical backyard community, creating connections to neighbours in a vertical radius of 10m. As a result of the zigzagging, stepping, sloping, intricate circulation and multilevel apartments, the VM houses are populated by a swarm of different apartments. Out of 225 units there are more than 80 unique types. The many multilevel apartment types interlock in complex compositions on the façade, transforming the exterior of the VM houses in to a three dimensional game of Tetris.

The VM Houses are made up of simple but exquisite materials with large glass facades framed by fancy wood. Floors are made up of solid oak wood, and dark, hard wood have been used for the balcony floors. Walls and ceilings appear with a somewhat raw finish in white concrete, and all internal stairs and handrails come in white painted steel. All the apartments’ external walls are made up of glass.

To ensure that the VM shape was optimal with respect to views and solar orientation, a number of daylight simulations were made simulating light at different times of day and year. By using the studies we were able to design a building with 225 units where all are guaranteed direct sunlight, everyday throughout the year.

The Mountain Dwellings in Copenhagen, Denmark, combine parking and living spaces in a unique way. The terraced residences cascade from the 11th floor to the street edge, utilizing the parking area as a concrete hillside base. All apartments have roof gardens for sunlight and views. The building creates a suburban neighborhood feel within an urban density. The roof gardens change with the seasons and are maintained by a watering system. Glass facades with sliding doors separate the apartments from the gardens, providing light and fresh air. The building offers convenient parking with 480 spots and a sloping elevator. Perforated aluminum plates on the north and west facades create a striking visual of Mount Everest. The apartments are naturally heated, lit, and cooled, with south-facing orientation and natural ventilation. The Mountain Dwellings provide a balance between city life and suburban tranquility.

The Mountain Dwellings are located in Ørestaden, a new urban development in Copenhagen, Denmark. The program consist of 2/3 parking and 1/3 living. Rather than doing two separate buildings next to each other, we decided to let the parking area become the base for the terraced residences – like a concrete hillside covered by a thin layer of housing, cascading from the 11th floor to the street edge. In this way we merge the two functions into a symbiotic relationship. The parking area needs to be connected to the street, and the homes require sunlight, fresh air and views, thus all apartments have roof gardens facing the sun and amazing views.

The Mountain Dwellings appear as a suburban neighbourhood of garden-residences overflowing a 10-storey building – suburban living with urban density. The roof gardens consist of a terrace and a garden with plants changing character according to the changing seasons. The building has a huge watering system which maintains the roof gardens. The only thing that separates the apartment and the garden is a glass façade with sliding doors to provide light and fresh air. The residents of the 80 apartments will be the first in the quarter Ørestaden to have the possibility of parking directly outside their homes. The gigantic parking area contains 480 parking spots and a sloping elevator that moves along the mountain’s inner walls. In some places the ceiling height is up to 16 meters which gives the impression of a cathedral-like space. The north and west facades are covered by perforated aluminium plates, which let in air and light to the parking area. The holes in the facade form a huge reproduction of Mount Everest. At day the holes in the aluminium plates will appear black on the bright aluminium, and the gigantic picture will resemble that of a rough rasterized photo. At night time the facade will be lit from the inside and appear as a photo negative in different colours as each floor in the parking area has different colours. The Mountain Dwellings is located in Ørestad city and offer the best of two worlds: closeness to the hectic city life in the centre of Copenhagen, and the tranquillity characteristic of suburban life.

The entire building is naturally heated and lighted, as all apartments are oriented southward with large glazed areas/windows to let in sunlight. They are also cooled by natural ventilation. The parking lot/area is covered by perforated aluminum plates, which let in fresh air and light to the parking area. The building also has a watering system which maintains the roof gardens by redistributing rain through drip irrigation.