Youth Dwellings in Copenhagen | Holscher Nordberg + LYTT

Youth Dwellings in Copenhagen | Holscher Nordberg + LYTT
The curved shapes of a 1936 modernist building have been extended in height in a new addition. The transformation clarifies the crescent in the street of the former factory building. The old building has been designated with a high conservation value from the conservation authorities. The task of adding the new extension has therefore included great care for the existing architecture.

The new facades above the old building are covered in ash wood cladding with a tactile slatted structure that provides relief and texture in the façade. The golden-brown bricks in the two lower floors thus form a patinated base for the new crisp upper part, which over time will change the character to a silver-gray surface. Where it has been necessary to repair the existing outer wall, it is rebuilt with a yellow hand-stroke tile.

The façade towards the street follows the shape of the street and is symmetrically built with rhythmic window openings and a convincing sense of proportion. Holscher Nordberg Architecture and Planning has developed a special window for the transformed building. The windows have a vertical spear mounted in the center profile, so that subtle shadow effects occur, which play a visual role in the relief motifs created by the upper wooden façade. All the dwellings have at a bay window to set a generous special frame in the relatively small homes.

The window frames are made in anodized aluminum. In the upper part of the building – in a dark appearance – at the bottom in interaction with the tiled façade – in nature.

The existing factory building has until recently been used as a school. In this way, it has lived a changeable life and has shown its worth through several different functionalities. In the transformation, the south gable has been opened to provide more daylight into the green courtyard – and thus to the homes facing it.

The added floors span the courtyard like a bridge – a clear sensuous perception that the addition is lightly located on top of the existing – and materially heavier building. The total area is doubled, while the almost 100-year-old industrial building dictates the shape of its own extension upwards.

Project Info

Architects: Holscher Nordberg Architecture and Planning, LYTT
Area: 5800 m²
Year: 2021
Country: Copenhagen, Denmark
Photographs: Daviid Ranløv, Kristina Dam
Landscape architecture: LYTT Architecture
Structural Engineer / Civil Engineer: WSP