Marmormolen

On Copenhagen’s waterfront, a new timber structure marks the entrance to the evolving Nordhavn district. Designed for client AP Pension, Marmormolen redefines the office typology as a multi-tenant building, combining large-scale wood construction with open public spaces.

Project details

Client

AP Pension

Typology

Mixed-use, Office and HQs

Status

Under construction

Combining office, retail, and a generous public program on the waterfront of Copenhagen’s Nordhavn neighborhood, the design for Marmormolen pushes structural boundaries. Spanning 28,000 m², the eight-story mixed use building will become Copenhagen’s largest timber structure upon completion. At 36 meters tall, the building is intended as a prototype for future timber developments, with its solid wood material helping to absorb CO2, rather than emitting it.

“We have refined using timber for smaller structures, and it’s no longer experimental or a niche use,” says Associate Design Director, Mikkel Eskildsen. “Marmormolen is a big leap to using timber as the default structural system for large-scale projects in the future.”

Marmormolen is developed by AP Pension, one of Denmark's largest pension funds. The team includes Henning Larsen, Ramboll, and Pihl Konsortiet – delivering architecture, landscape, engineering, and a full life cycle assessment carried out on behalf of the client. Rasmus Hjortshøj, 2023

"Right now, we are finding ourselves in the midst of a paradigm shift in the AEC industry. Architecture can no longer pursue design excellence based on aesthetic goals and measurements. Everything must be set up against your impact on society and the environment. When we pursue design excellence this must be embedded.”

Mikkel Eskildsen

Associate Design Director - Denmark

01/05

Designed for openness

Contradicting the traditionally closed-off, introverted commercial office building, the transparent and open ground floor is activated with outward facing amenities that allow the space to be used to its full potential, even outside office hours. The ground floor encompasses a large canteen and auditorium serving dual purposes – as a public eatery, and a venue for events. Extending from the outdoors and public waterfront inward, Marmormolen’s open foyer draws the surrounding environment into the building, reinforcing its multi-user profile.

The building's multi-user profile, diversity of programs, and publicly accessible ground floor – both outside and inside – makes Marmormolen the antithesis of a traditional office building.

The building is designed to click into the context and thus rises to its full eight stories towards a busy street and train tracks and steps down to three stories towards water and neighboring housing on the opposite side. Rasmus Hjortshøj, 2023

Image – Sora, 2022

Image – Sora, 2022

A modern workplace

Promoting a healthy, biophilic work environment, the design includes abundant outdoor seating, co-working spaces, a lounge, flexible meeting rooms, and – from the upper levels – views of the sea and Copenhagen’s skyline. A large central courtyard provides an additional pocket of greenery and ensures access to natural daylight. Highlighting the natural warmth and versatility of wood, the building will offer spaces that we hope will not only be visually appealing but also conducive to employee and user well-being.

Designed to fit into the surrounding context, Marmormolen features metal-clad façades that reflect the scale of Nordhavn’s history as an industrial port. Despite being one large volume, the building is divided into smaller cubes that can accommodate the needs of a diverse range of tenants. All floors have close connectivity and direct access to terraces – making nature an active and integrated part of the workspace experience.

Sora, 2022

Inspired by the forest – and the nearby beach – the incorporation of natural elements into the structure is achieved with native plantings and green rooftop terraces that create a natural transition between the building and its environment.

Rasmus Hjortshøj, 2023

The gardens act as oases for biodiversity, with beehives and butterfly ‘hotels’ placed alongside the vegetable gardens supplying fresh produce for the building’s restaurant and café. Sora, 2022

Connected to its surroundings

Marmormolen’s location places it at the intersection of an existing neighborhood, oriented towards Nordre Frihavnsgade, and a developing quarter, Århusgadekvarteret, now growing with new life, shops and restaurants. It sits directly next to the water and the port, which will offer many recreational qualities for future tenants. Its proximity to public transportation will make it a convenient hub for employees and the public.

Surrounded by green spaces on three out of four sides, with a green neighborhood plaza to the south and access to a future waterfront park to the north. The green areas along the edges of the building will be planted with a variety of trees intended to create a natural transition between the building and its environment, while establishing relaxed spaces for meeting, outdoor dining, and other activities.

Selected to adapt and transform according to the change of seasons, the plantings will minimize the wind and establish a pleasant micro-climate for the public to enjoy. The architectural contact between the outdoor and indoor zones of the building is also intended to encourage movement in and out, fostering a sense of community and connection between the building tenants and the local neighborhood.