{"id":37155,"date":"2017-02-01T19:15:59","date_gmt":"2017-02-01T18:15:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/en\/kroyer-square\/"},"modified":"2017-02-01T19:31:53","modified_gmt":"2017-02-01T18:31:53","slug":"kroyer-square","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/en\/kroyer-square\/","title":{"rendered":"Kr\u00f8yer Square"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kr\u00f8yers Plads<\/strong>\u00a0is a significant location in the centre of the Copenhagen harbour area. The site
\nconstituted a gap in the continuous rows of old warehouses that sit perpendicular to the harbour
\nand was an architectural and political battlefield in Copenhagen for more than a decade. When
\nthe final building design for this beautiful historical site was developed by\u00a0Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0COBE<\/a><\/strong>, many architectural proposals had already been rejected by local organizations
\nand politicians for various reasons.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
photo by Rasmus Hjortsh\u00f8j<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With a prime location in the Copenhagen harbour, opposite the Royal Playhouse, the historical Nyhavn, and next to the world\u2019s best restaurant, Noma, the project consists of 3 five-story housing units with 105 <\/span>apartments ranging from 79 to 250 m2 in size. The ground floor of the three buildings houses restaurants, shops and a supermarket. Kr\u00f8yers Plads is surrounded by a wooden waterfront promenade, which has become a favorit spot to catch the sun in the Danish summers.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
photo by Rasmus Hjortsh\u00f8j<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A hyper-democratic approach
\n<\/b>Set between 300-year-old industrial warehouses the new development is based on the constraints and demands from the public voices of Copenhageners and is a modern interpretation of the old buildings that are so characteristic for the harbour front in Copenhagen.
\n\u201dThe neighbours were for instance invited to help define the height of the buildings and to help select the materials \u2013 both crucial for the way the new Kr\u00f8yers Plads relates to its surroundings. Instead of inventing a new building typology, Kr\u00f8yers Plads became a reinvention of the one already found adjacent to the site \u2013 the industrial warehouse,\u201d<\/em> says Dan Stubbergaard, Founder and Creative Director at COBE.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
photo by Rasmus Hjortsh\u00f8j<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The design is based on a hyper-democratic approach. An architectural storytelling that through a dialogue with the local community strives to create a meaningful and comprehensive infill. The approach was to translate all significant characteristics of the old warehouses, such as the harbour facing gables, the heavy expression, building height and materiality, into modern design parameters that meet both functional and climatic demands. The design by Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects and COBE was begun in 2011. In 2013, construction started and now the modern housing project is finished and the new owners have moved in.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
photo by Rasmus Hjortsh\u00f8j<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First Eco-labelled apartment buildings <\/b><\/p>\n

Besides the emphasis on site context and public involvement, focus has also been on developing the modern warehouses after a series of sustainability principles, which means that the buildings meet the need for environmental, social, economic and resource-focused aspects of construction. \u201dFrom the start we were determined to create the first Nordic Eco-labelled apartment buildings in the world. The Nordic Ecolabel is a label that requires very high standards for sustainability – both in terms of environmental and constructional quality,\u201d<\/em> says Thomas Scheel, partner at Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
photo by Rasmus Hjortsh\u00f8j<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition to high demands with regard to the building materials, there are demands for low energy consumption. To be awarded the Nordic Ecolabel the buildings must be at least 25 percent more energy efficient than applicable legal requirements \u2013 Kr\u00f8yers Plads is nearly 40 percent more energy efficient than the legal requirements. All apartments in Kr\u00f8yers Plads were sold before construction started, and the entire development was finished in 2016. The development won the prestigious MIPIM Award for Best Residential Development in 2015, and has just been announched the winner of the Green Good Design Award in January 2017.<\/p>\n