Danish firm COBE is transforming the largest industrial building in Nordhavnen - a silo - into an apartment building with both private and public functions. For COBE, who also created the urban development plans for Nordhavnen, this project marks the beginning of the post-industrial area's future. Nordhavnen is a harbor area located only 4km from Copenhagen's city centre.
"The exciting thing about old industrial property is how to preserve their soul and at the same time use them for something else," said Klaus Kastbjerg, the owner of the silo, commenting on the adaptive reuse project. To preserve the soul of the silo, the architects will maintain a raw industrial feeling on the interior. Each of the 40 retrofitted apartments will contain visible historic remnants such as existing concrete columns and walls.
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The spatial variation within the silo is immense due to the various functions of storing and handling grain, giving rise to a unique set of apartments. The single and multi-leveled apartments range from 80 square meters to 800 square meters in size, with floor heights soaring up to 8 meters. Each apartment has large panoramic views with balconies overlooking the city skyline.
The public element of the building lies in both the ground and top floors, creating a multidimensional experience for users. The silo will be used for public purposes such as exhibitions, events, and conferences. On the top floor of the building there will be a restaurant with 360 degree views of almost all of Copenhagen.
While the building interior will be preserved as much as possible, the exterior will be re-cladded in order to bring the facade up to current standards. Despite this major change, the maintenance of the building's slender, tall shape serves to preserve the existing silo's distinctive character and redefine it as a modern landmark.
