ZAZA TIMBER, the Latvian group of businesses, has manufactured an environmentally-friendly, uniquely-designed rapid electric vehicle ultra-fast charging station from glued laminated timber (glulam) and erected it in front of the City Council building in Frederiksberg Municipality, Copenhagen. The station was designed by Danish architecture firm Cobe. It was commissioned by Clever, a leading Danish company specialising in electric vehicle charging stations, and holistic mobility and charging solutions.
Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj – COAST.
The ultra-fast charging station is five metres tall, 14 metres long and seven metres wide. It can be used by four cars at the same time, with each receiving 150–300 kW of charging power.
The structure was made of FSC-certified spruce, and was made using lego construction principles, with the three businesses that make up Jelgava County’s ZAZA TIMBER Group collaborating on the design, manufacture and construction. ZAZA TIMBER’s designers developed the detail drawings for the parts and designed the panels and their fastenings; the glulam parts and roof modules were produced in Latvia, while the final assembly was performed in Denmark. This approach allowed the process to take place swiftly and almost entirely without building waste. The Latvian construction team built the structure in Copenhagen in just six days.
Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj – COAST.
Cobe’s architectural concept, design, and choice of materials reflects green thinking, allowing for the use of renewable resources and focusing on the sustainable use of materials. When considering how to integrate a clean energy charging point into everyday life and the pace of the city, the station was created as a place not just for charging a car, but also for relaxing the mind and enjoying a step back from the city’s industrial architecture.
The architectural concept is of a timber roof module modelled on a tree with a trunk and foliage, which shelters users from the elements. The roof is also literally green: it is covered in plants, namely an extensive green sedum which requires minimal upkeep. By connecting multiple modules, the stations can be built to different sizes and configurations, meaning the concept can be executed in different locations. The concept includes an easily deconstructable canopy made of materials which can be recycled or upcycled. Clever and Cobe won several awards for this project, including the infrastructure award of the 2018 Danish Building Awards and ArchDaily’s Building of the Year Award 2020. The project was nominated for the 2022 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award.
The Danish Minister for Transport took part in the station’s opening ceremony. The Danish government is supporting the development of electric vehicle infrastructure throughout the country. In accordance with figures from the Danish Electric Vehicle Alliance, Denmark needs to install 30,000 electric vehicle charging stations by 2030 to ensure that transport transitions to renewable resources.
Photo: Rasmus Hjortshoj – COAST.
About ZAZA TIMBER
ZAZA TIMBER is a group of three companies specialising in the manufacture, design and construction of glued laminated timber structures. The group operates in Latvia and elsewhere in Europe, and its clients include architects, civil engineers and construction companies.
ZAZA TIMBER Production SIA (previously: IKTK) manufactures curved and straight glulam structures up to 32 metres long, as well as high-precision and high-difficulty finishes. The company has manufactured glulam structures for transport, pedestrian and ski bridges, manufacturing, office and residential buildings, schools, churches, sports facilities, restaurants, hotels, concert halls, petrol stations and EV charging stations. These are located in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Lithuania, Latvia, USA, South Korea, Germany, Netherlands and Spain.
ZAZA TIMBER Engineering SIA (previously: Rodentia) is a design company. It specialises in designing timber structures: glulam, cross-laminated timber (CLT), solid timber and plywood, on their own or alongside other materials.
ZAZA TIMBER Construction SIA (previously: Igate Būve) specialises in the construction of glulam timber structures. The company has built office buildings, open-air concert halls, factory buildings, residential buildings, sports facilities, petrol stations and electric vehicle charging stations. Since 2020, the company has also operated in the Nordic countries.
The ZAZA TIMBER brand is owned by family company ZAZA Grupa SIA, and the true beneficiaries are Baiba Radžele and Eva Peilāne. The annual turnover of the ZAZA TIMBER brand’s companies is 1.8 million Euro (2020 figures). The companies employ 40 people.
