The winner of the international competition regarding a masterplan for Christiansholm island in Copenhagen’s inner harbour was announced to be COBE together with Inside Outside, Via Trafik and Transsolar. The winning proposal builds on the provisional urban life that already exists today on the island by replacing the existing warehouses with new Copenhagen Halls containing informal, public functions, and housing on top.
The 29.000 m2 artificial Island in the heart of Copenhagen’s inner harbour front, and also the home of COBE’s own studio, has a very prominent location right next to the Opera House and the Royal Danish Playhouse. Despite the prime location, Christiansholm is the last undeveloped quay along Copenhagen’s inner waterfront.
The winning proposal builds on the provisional urban life that is already on the island and proposes to replace the existing old warehouses with new ones containing informal, public functions such as an event hall, a gallery hall, and a new swimming hall. Housing and commercial use will be placed on top of the halls, which encircles a green and intimate courtyard. The whole island will be flanked by a public promenade.
“Our vision for the island’s future is to create a place that celebrates the city’s culture and the Copenhagen way of life. It was important for us that Christiansholm also in future will be a first class example of Copenhagen’s generous urban living that can attract tourists and visitors at the 2 same time has a strong local presence,” says Dan Stubbergaard, Owner and Creative Director at COBE. An important driver in ensuring that Christianholm becomes a cultural destination for all Copenhageners is the Municipality’s decision to build a new swimming facility on the island.
Christiansholm, or the Paper Island as it is colloquially known, has for decades been occupied by the Danish press. In 2013, the Procurement Association of the Danish Press left the island after having used it for newspaper storage for more than 50 years. In the few years that have passed since Christiansholm was opened to the public it has become an attraction for Copenhageners, visitors and tourists alike. The island has been inhabited by the creative industry and public functions such as the science center Experimentarium City and Copenhagen Street Food that together attract more than 350,000 visitors annually.
”We know COBE as a professional collaborator from the development of Nordhavn among other things. With the winning proposal we have taken a big step forward in the development of Christiansholm, which is the crown jewel of the inner harbour with its central location right across from the Royal Danish Playhouse. The winning project is a strong and visionary proposal for a new Copenhagen neighbourhood with the Municipality’s new swimming facility, urban life, housing and a unifying waterfront boardwalk,” says CEO of CPH City & Port Development, Jens Kramer Mikkelsen. Source by Cobe.
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Architects: COBE
Landscape Architect: Inside Outside
Traffic engineer: Via Trafik
Climate engineer: Transsolar
Client: CPH City & Port Development
Size: 45.000 m2 public funtions and housing
Year: 2016
Images: COBE and Luxigon, Courtesy of COBE
