KAI Copenhagen swimming, wellness building: Kengo Kuma

KAI Copenhagen swimming, wellness & culture building

24 October 2026

Design: Kengo Kuma & Associates

Location: Paper Island, inner harbor, Copenhagen, Denmark

Vandkulturhuset København

Images by Rasmus Hjortshoj

New Water Culture Opens in Copenhagen December 5

Designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates, KAI brings ten pools, a harbor-view japanese-inspired onsen, and cultural spaces to the Danish capital’s waterfront.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — KAI, a new public swimming, wellness and cultural destination designed by Japanese architecture practice Kengo Kuma & Associates, will open in central Copenhagen on December 5, 2026. The approximately 62,430-square-foot venue features indoor and outdoor bathing across multiple levels, including an open-air pool between five brick towers and a heated onsen overlooking the harbor.

Located on Paper Island in the city’s inner harbor, KAI forms part of Copenhagen’s ongoing transformation of its former industrial port into a waterfront for recreation, culture and community life. Visitors will find facilities ranging from children’s play pools to saunas and a steam bath, alongside a program of events exploring water in new ways.

Admission prices will be aligned with Copenhagen’s other municipal swimming facilities, with opening hours from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., seven days a week.

From Open-Air Swimming to a Heated Onsen

On the ground floor, an approximately 82-foot fitness pool, a teaching pool and three children’s play pools provide space for exercise, learning and family visits. Upstairs, the wellness area includes a therapy pool, a hot pool and a cold plunge, complemented by three saunas, a heated stone and a steam bath.

The outdoor Valley Pool sits between the building’s five brick towers, allowing bathers to swim under open skies through the changing seasons. On the same level, the Onsen offers warm-water bathing at 96.8°F with panoramic harbor views. A ground-source heat pump system provides year-round heating for both outdoor pools.

Separate swimming and dipping zones along the waterfront are expected to open in early 2027. Connected by a timber boardwalk, these areas will overlook two of the city’s cultural landmarks, the Royal Danish Playhouse and Opera Park. Once completed, the public harbor bath and deck will remain accessible year-round, 24 hours a day.

Japanese Architecture Meets Danish Brick

KAI consists of five brick towers above a light glass structure, each shaped according to the pool beneath it. The design incorporates 300,000 handmade bricks and 403 windows that frame views and bring natural daylight inside.

Its name reflects the meeting of Danish and Japanese architecture and culture. In Japanese, kai refers to the sea; in Danish, it evokes kaj, the word for quay.

“The Water Culture House is a distinctive new landmark on Copenhagen’s waterfront. It is part of the ongoing transformation of the city and its harbour from an industrial port into a cultural waterfront, where new functions have helped bring the surrounding areas of the Inner Harbour to life. As Paper Island’s cultural cornerstone, the House is a civic institution dedicated to water and community, embraced by a public harbour bath. Open to all, it creates new settings for everyday life in Copenhagen, where physical and mental wellbeing can become a natural part of urban life,” says Yuki Ikeguchi, Lead Architect and Partner in Charge at Kengo Kuma & Associates.

A Place for Culture and Community

The tallest tower will house spaces for cultural activities, movement and community gatherings. Events will take place in, on and around the pools and along the harborfront, while residents and cultural practitioners will be able to submit ideas for the program.

The project originated with a public call for proposals in 2015. Copenhagen residents submitted 160 ideas for a new leisure and cultural facility, the vast majority requesting a swimming venue with room for relaxation, reflection and local communities. Kengo Kuma & Associates won the subsequent international architectural competition in 2017.

“I’m really excited about the opening of the Water Culture House. Copenhagen needs more swimming facilities, so it’s incredibly important that we are now getting new pools for adults, as well as paddling pools for children. I hope it will become the city’s new gathering point for water-loving Copenhageners and visitors alike,” says Copenhagen’s Lord Mayor Sisse Marie Welling.

KAI has been built at a total cost of approximately US$148.4 million, with US$66.5 million contributed by the City of Copenhagen and US$81.9 million by the Danish foundation Nordea-fonden.

“We are very proud to have helped make this new world-class swimming and community destination a reality for the people of Copenhagen. KAI will be both a welcoming place for everyone and an iconic landmark in one of the city’s most spectacular locations. It has the potential to become a new symbol of Copenhagen and a place that contributes to a high quality of life for the city’s residents,” says Henrik Lehmann Andersen, Chief Executive Officer of Nordea-fonden.

For more information and updates on the cultural program, visit www.kai.kk.dk.

KAI Copenhagen swimming, wellness building in Denmark – Building Information

Opening: December 5, 2026
Location: Paper Island, in the inner harbor of central Copenhagen, Denmark
Architect: Kengo Kuma & Associates
Size: Approximately 62,430 square feet
Hours: Daily, 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Admission: Prices aligned with the city’s other municipal swimming pools and water culture houses
Capacity: 380 bathers
Facilities: Ten pools, three saunas, a heated stone, a steam bath and cultural spaces
Harbor bathing: Separate swimming and dipping zones expected to open in early 2027

Pools and Temperatures

Pool	Water temperature
82-foot fitness pool	80.6°F
Teaching pool	84.2°F
Three children’s play pools	89.6°F
Therapy pool	96.8°F
Hot pool	107.6°F
Cold plunge pool	59°F
Outdoor Valley Pool	78.8°F
Outdoor Onsen	96.8°F

Harbor Bathing Areas

Swimming zone: Approximately 39 × 164 feet, overlooking Opera Park
Plunge zone: Approximately 20 × 72 feet, overlooking the Royal Danish Playhouse
Access: The public harbor bath and timber waterfront deck will remain open year-round, 24 hours a day once completed
Timing: These facilities will not be fully completed for the December 5 opening and are expected to open in early 2027

Design and Construction

Five brick towers, 300,000 handmade bricks and 403 windows
Ten pools containing approximately 264,000 gallons of water
A ground-source heat pump system with ten boreholes drilled approximately 820 feet deep, providing year-round heating for the upper-level outdoor pools
Project developer/client: Vandkulturhuset Papirøen / Paper Island Water Culture House Foundation
Funding: City of Copenhagen and Nordea-fonden
Lead architect: Kengo Kuma & Associates
Concept design collaborator: Cornelius Vöge Atelier for Architecture
Executive architect: Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects
Client adviser: COWI A/S
Main contractor: MT Højgaard A/S
Consultants: Søren Jensen Consulting Engineers, KI Consulting Engineers, COWI Building East, Rambøll (water treatment) and Jesper Kongshaug (lighting design)