Copenhagen Harbour Designs, Danish Maritime Architecture, New Buildings in Denmark, Architects

Copenhagen Harbour Architecture

Danish Docklands Designs: Marine Built Environment Denmark – article by Rebecca Breun for e-architect

23 Apr 2013

Danish Harbour Architecture

Joining the Dots in the Kingdom of 1000 Islands!

Copenhagen Harbour Architecture Article by Rebecca Breun, Paris – e-architect Head of Business Development

During my short stay in Copenhagen last weekend, the Danish Architectural Centre (DAC), with its current exhibition “Your Harbour” was top of my list. Being a small country with over a thousand Islands, the sea has a special place in Danish hearts.

image from DAC

Over the last decade the harbour and ports around Copenhagen have been vacated, and the city has launched an impressive attempt not only to link the newly developed areas on the island of Amager, situated opposite Copenhagen proper, to the old city centre, but also to animate the waterfront on both sides.

The exhibition is in the DAC building (an old renovated warehouse) on the waterfront and draws a lively image of the port in days gone by, from its construction to its decline, and presents the future of the waterfront in a fun and interactive way. Until recently only two bridges linked the two city parts together, and the waterfront itself was often not open to the public. Now it is possible to walk, bicycle or roller-skate along most of the front with two additional bridges linking new areas together while making sure you don’t have to walk back on yourself.

images from DAC

From the beginning of the Copenhagen Harbour development, it was important that this vast area should be or cater for as many groups of the population as possible. This desire is visible in the projects that have already seen the light of day, such as the Royal Playhouse (Lundgaard & Tranberg, 2008); the Opera House (Henning Larsen, 2005); and Islands Brygge Havnebad (Plot 2008), a public swimming bath in the harbour (yes – the water is so clean you can swim in it!); and at the other end of the harbour, Brygge Bridge (Dissing + Weitling, 2006) for pedestrians and bicycles only. At the same time the dialog and analysis is still going on, and it seems that the different players, such as local government and owners of properties on the water front are getting inspired by the developments and initiatives taken by the locals.

The new projects, many of which are already under construction, will include the Inderhavnen Bridge (Bednarsky Architects, 2013), which will be crossed by up to 7000 users a day, and the very beautiful Circle Bridge by Danish Islandic artist Olafur Eliasson and many more. If you are in Copenhagen, DAC and the “Your Harbour” exhibition, all texts are in Danish and English, is the right place to get your bearings in this dynamic area, and when you go out of the building, you can experience the real thing!

22 Apr 2013

Danish Architecture Centre Bridge Exhibition

Danish Architecture Centre Exhibition, Copenhagen, Denmark
22 Mar – 16 Jun 2013

image from DAC
Danish Architecture Centre Events
A new exhibition at the Danish Architecture Centre casts the spotlight on the rapid development of Copenhagen’s harbour. YOUR HARBOUR invites visitors on a journey through the harbour’s historical development from its past existence as a military and industrial harbour to its present existence as a culture harbour and recreational area, where the harbour has well and truly returned to the city and its citizens.