Press Information
April 2003

Copenhagen Expands with a Brand New Quarter

Just one kilometre from Copenhagen Town Hall Square, a new, 310-hectare city area - Ørestad - is taking shape. Several companies, organisations and educational institutions have already opened their doors.

This previously undeveloped area of Copenhagen, which on one side lies close to the city centre and at its other side is just minutes from Copenhagen Airport, is currently the site of a major building project. Several companies have already taken up residence in Ørestad and although work is still in progress it is expected that other companies and residents will be able to move in within the next couple of years. The new quarter is expected to develop and expand into six city quarters over the next 20-25 years.

A city within the city
Ørestad is being built from scratch, complete with its own road and rail infrastructure, and will of course benefit from its close proximity to the airport and the Øresund Bridge to southern Sweden. Thanks to the bridge,

Ørestad is just 25 minutes from the Swedish town of Malmö and it is expected that many Swedes will also benefit from the new area's facilities and employment opportunities.

The characteristic Scandinavian attention to design and planning has been central to the creation of Ørestad. Consequently, the area's urban development and architecture will be of the highest quality, while the impact on its natural surroundings will be minimal.

Ørestad will be home to companies operating principally in international markets in, for example, the medical, telecommunications and financial sectors. In 2007 it will also become the location for the Humanities faculty of Copenhagen University; the IT University; various other schools and institutions; as well as social services departments. The new area will boast recreation and arts facilities, including a concert hall and a substantial shopping and leisure centre - Field's Copenhagen - with retail outlets and leisure facilities. The new centre will have a total floor area of 146,000 sq m and is expected to open in 2004.

Companies in Ørestad
The pharmaceutical company Ferring was among the first to take up residence in Ørestad when its new international headquarters opened in January 2002. The company has centralised its research and development, sales and marketing departments from Germany, Sweden and Denmark in this new, 15,000 sq m building.

NCC Denmark's 5,000 sq m business park could welcome businesses and organisations from May 2002 - the first to move in was Masterfood. NCC Denmark will also start the construction of 150 family housings over the summer 2003. At the same time 3,000 students of Copenhagen IT College are expected to relocate to a brand new 20,000 sq m facility adjacent to a 20,000 sq m science park. In addition, the Norwegian insurance company KLP will complete 29,000 sq m of office space - the first phase of a planned total of 100,000 sq m. Meanwhile, the Danish broadcasting corporation, Danmarks Radio (DR), will move into its new 112,000 sq m media house in 2006.

Of the numerous opportunities for companies in this new development Copenhagen's mayor, Jens Kramer Mikkelsen, says:

"By developing a new area of the city, Copenhagen and the Øresund region will provide the best conditions for companies operating within competitive global markets to launch into the new economy. Ørestad will offer the facilities that modern firms require in order to operate globally - such as research environments, business services and well-developed transport links. The fact that Ørestad also has accommodation and cultural attractions makes the area even more appealing to companies."

Ørestad has its own railway station serving Copenhagen Airport and the new Copenhagen Metro which also provides connections to Copenhagen city centre every 3 minutes. Trains running on the regional and international networks also serve Ørestad station.

Øresund region - the Scandinavian growth centre
Meanwhile, on the other side of Øresund in Malmö, Sweden's third largest city, a similar project, Brostaden, is also under way. Together, these two new towns make the Øresund Region the largest construction area in Europe. On 1 July 2000, the Øresund Bridge connecting Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmö in Sweden was completed, thus uniting three million citizens living within a new Scandinavian urban area: the Øresund region. The Øresund Region is now among the top European metropolitan regions in terms of scientific creativity, evidenced by the volume of published scientific works produced in the area - surpassed only by London, Paris and Amsterdam/Rotterdam.

Further information: www.orestad.dk or contact the press department - see contact details in the menu.