The Royal Danish Playhouse is a relatively new theatre building on Copenhagen’s waterfront. Its purpose is dramatic theatre as a supplement to its sibling The Royal Danish Opera House across the harbour and the Old Stage at Kongens Nytorv. The Playhouse was designed by architects Lundgaard & Tranberg and was awarded a RIBA European Award in 2008 for its architecture. It has also been awarded a Red Dot Design Award for its chairs.
The Opera House is a spectacular piece of architecture designed by Danish architect Henning Larsen, who is famous for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Riyadh. The Opera is located on the waterfront and opened in 2000 as a gift to the Danes from Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller. The surface of the building is made of limestone. The foyer floor is marble, and three large lamps by Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson decorate the foyer.
Metropolis is a 40 metre tall residential building in Copenhagen Harbour. The building is designed by British Future Systems and Danish Kasper Danielsen Arkitekter, who have attempted to create so-called futuristic fantasy. Metropolis is surrounded by water from three sides and is situated on a peninsular in Sluseholmen, which has been extended artificially by 2.000 square metres.
Gemini Residence is a residential building located at the end of the bridge Bryggebroen on Copenhagen’s Islands Brygge. The former twin seed silos are named after the astrological sign Gemini and consist of raw concrete cylinders. The hollow cores make up the hallways, lifts and stairs, while the flats have been attached to the exterior of the silos.
The DR Concert Hall is part of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation’s new headquarter in Copenhagen’s Ørestad. The concert hall was designed by architect Ateliers Jean Nouvel and contains four halls of different sizes for different types of music. The first thing you see, however, is the giant blue transparent external screen used for video projection.
The extension to the Royal Library was designed by architects Schmidt, Hammer and Lassen and is deservedly called The Black Diamond. Its shiny, black facets mirror the sea and the sky at the waterfront. A large incision cleaves the building into two formations and gives light to the atrium inside. The atrium connects the city with the sea outside as well as the old and new library buildings. The glass facade is held by iron girders weighing approximately one metric tonne per metre.
The Tietgen Students’ Residence in Copenhagen’s Ørestad is inspired by the traditional Chinese Tulou houses - village communities with individual dwellings and communal facilities. Architects Lundgaard & Tranberg have designed a round seven-storey building intersected by five vertical cuts, providing access to the inner courtyard. They made space for communal and private life as well as an individual expression in the design of all the 360 student rooms.
Tuborg Harbour in Hellerup just north of Copenhagen used to be the domicile of the famous Tuborg beer - hence the name. Today the Danish brewery is gone and large exclusive residential buildings and offices have taken its spot. Here you will also find the shopping centre Waterfront Shopping, with its very own dock, as well as kids favourite Experimentarium.
The VM Houses are the work of one of Denmark’s most prominent architect groups, Bjarke Ingels Group – or simply BIG. The residential buildings are shaped like the letters V and M, when seen from above, and are located in Copenhagen’s new area Ørestad. The flats have lots of daylight, air and views to all the other flats from the triangular balconies.
Bella Sky Comwell is designed by architects 3XN. The hotel is a prominent landmark in Copenhagen’s new area Ørestad near the airport. The hotel’s two towers are leaning away from each other, making way for a perfect view from all rooms in both towers. With 814 rooms, 30 conference rooms, three restaurants and two bars, the hotel will become the largest design hotel in the Nordic countries, when it opens in Spring 2011.