the towers of Brøndby Strand
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Significant problems have been identified in five of the tower blocks at Brøndby Strand.
These iconic apartment buildings are 16 storeys high and were designed by Svend Høgsbro and Thorvald Dreyer. They are about 12 kilometres from the centre of Copenhagen and are a striking sight from the train as it follows the the bay on the coastal line down to Køge.
Built between 1968 and 1974 and, as was common at the time, fittings and structural materials in the towers contain Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) that are now known to be toxic - so possibly electrical equipment, cable insulation, thermal insulation, floor finishes and even oil-based paint would have to be removed to comply with current building standards and health regulations. The towers also need repairs to concrete that has degraded and, given the age of the buildings, services and fittings do not match current building standards or tenants expectations and would also have to be upgraded.
There appear to be no technical solution for removing PCBs that are viable financially with remedial works estimated to be almost four times the cost of rehousing the 196 families that live here and then demolishing the apartments.
