العربيةone of denmark’s largest timber buildings
henning larsen and ramboll have unveiled their design for ‘marmormolen’, a large timber structure combining office, retail, and public program on the nordhavn waterfront, in copenhagen. structured entirely by wood, the project integrates a welcoming green plaza, lush rooftop gardens, promenades, and a waterfront park, thus contributing to the neighbourhood’s transformation from a primarily industrial district to a testing ground for innovation and prototypical concepts. the project, which will be one of the largest contemporary wood structures in denmark, will break ground in early 2022 and is expected to open in 2024.
all images courtesy of sora
putting sustainability first
created for danish company AP pension, the design by henning larsen (find more here) and ramboll (find more here) generates a 28,000 sqm, eight-story commercial building made entirely of wood. with the case against concrete construction gaining more evidence, solid timber is emerging as a leader in the list of sustainable alternatives. in contrast to concrete, timber stores embodied carbon. therefore, by replacing concrete with timber, the structure will embed tons of carbon instead of emitting tons.
‘today, it is imperative that architecture challenges our usual notion of structures and materials. the construction industry is a major emitter of CO2, and we therefore also have great opportunities to make things better. we’re excited to be working with AP pension on a project that puts sustainability and sustainable strategies such as the UN’s sustainable development goals first,’ says søren øllgaard, partner & design director at henning larsen.
an ideal workspace composed of cubes, terraces, and gardens
marmormolen emerges as an ideal modern workspace with urban life, shops, restaurants, and public transportation close by. designed to blend seamlessly with the context, the building rises to its full eight stories towards a busy street and train tracks, while it steps down to three stories towards the neighboring housing on the opposite side. even though the structure is formed as one big volume, it is divided into smaller cubes that can respond to the lifestyle and character of each tenant. each cube has its own rooftop that feature terraces and gardens with great biodiversity, beehives, butterfly hotels, and vegetable production areas.
a marketplace for ideas and community making
unlike typical, closed office environments, marmormolen is conceived as a marketplace for ideas. its ground floor takes shape as an open and flexible extension of the public waterfront adjacent to the building. meanwhile, the building’s multi-users profile, diversity of extroverted programs, and publicly accessible character makes marmormolen the antithesis of a traditional and introverted domicile.
“workplaces used to be very interior and exclusive, but people today want to feel they are a part of a more diverse community and open up to their surroundings. with marmormolen we want to create more than a great office building, we also want it to give something back to the city and makes the building come alive – even outside office hours,” says mikkel eskildsen, associate design director and lead design architect on the project.
with a transparent, open and inviting ground floor, marmormolen will be a sustainable setting for a vibrant marketplace. inside, the ground level will hold amenities for the tenants such as a large cantina and auditorium, which will double as a public eatery and venue for theaters, flea markets etc. respectively. on upper levels, workplaces enjoy views of uninterrupted skies, the sea and the skyline of copenhagen. in the center there’s access to a large courtyard with greenery and good exposure to sunlight.
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