Kronløb Island

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A stepping stone
between
neighborhoods

Year: First prize in competition 2016, completed 2023

Client: Kronløbsøen Projekt P/S

Program: New artificial island in harbor basin including residential complex, urban spaces, bridges and underground parking facility

Size: 25.000 m² (above ground), 35.000 m² (underground)

Kronløb Island is an entirely new island in the existing Kronløb water basin in Copenhagen’s North Harbour, Nordhavn. The island will serve as a stepping stone between two new neighbourhoods in the future city district and will break the harbour basin up into a number of intimate canals. Kronløb Island will include the area’s biggest parking facility – a three-story underwater car park – as well as two new urban spaces in direct contact with the water, three new bridges and a monolithic housing volume with unique and varied housing qualities, surrounding an intimate green heart. The monolithic architecture refers to the geological processes that have shaped the Danish landscape and islands for thousands of years and enhances the story of Kronløb Island as a unique new island in Denmark: A monolith carved from one stone.

020 cobe kronlob island aerial view

Kronløb Island will be a new island in the existing Kronløb water basin in the new Nordhavn district in Copenhagen.

From water to
island no. 1,420

In order to emphasize the uniqueness of Denmark’s newest island, the project takes inspiration from the geological abrasion processes which have shaped the Danish coastline for thousands of years.

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As with the UNESCO biosphere reserve Møns Klint in southern Denmark, where sediment layers deposited over many millennia are visible as horizontal strata, the Kronløb Island looks like a landscaped natural phenomenon.

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The idea is that Kronløb Island will appear as a monolith carved from one stone. Horizontal formations will appear in all scales, from the stacking of functions to the choice of materials.

Freeing up land for urban
livable development
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080 cobe kronlob island model

From being a void in the new urban structure, the island will break the water bassin up into several intimate canals while also establishing a coherent flow of future urban spaces.

Six strategies shaping the project

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1. A traffic link to Nordhavn

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2. A stepping stone in the harbour basin

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3. The monolith

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4. Housing with nature in the urban space

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5. Active and vibrant ground-floor level

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6. Diverse types of dwellings

Kronløb Island brings the project’s many complex preconditions together in an overall holistic approach: A monolithic volume in slate, one urban space with naturel, two urban spaces in contact with the water, three bridges as well as a well-functioning underground parking structure and unique and varied housing qualities.

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The foundation of the island consists of a three-storey underwater parking garage, which frees up space on land for livable urban development.

An urban forest emerges
from the valley
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In the heart of the building is a wild, grassy landscape – a green oasis that offers a series of differentiated experiences for pedestrians or cyclists moving through a space with plants and trees that acts as a counterpoint to the rest of the island’s blue waterfront space.

170 cobe kronlob island courtyard
171 cobe kronlob island courtyard
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The island will be connected to the mainland via a three-story underwater parking garage.

The public functions on the ground-floor level are concentrated around the areas, where most people are expected to pass by or linger to enjoy the sun. The three urban spaces contain cafés, shops, a kayaking club as well as various plants and trees.

190 cobe kronlob island courtyard children

Mixing housing types gives the island diversity

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The particular kind of life that unfolds near the water and on an island is emphasized in the overall development plan, where all the homes are placed in direct connection with the water. There are many different apartment types and sizes which will contribute to the island’s diversity.

220 cobe kronlob island interior
230 cobe kronlob island interior
260 cobe kronlob island material

Slate material samples

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070 cobe kronlob island neighborhood pan 2

Location: Copenhagen, Denmark, Completed in 2023

Client: Kronløbsøen Projekt P/S

Program: New artificial island in harbor basin including residential complex, urban spaces, bridges and underground parking facility

Size: 25.000 m² (above ground), 35.000 m² (underground)

Year: First prize in competition 2016, completed 2023

Collaborators: Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects, Sted, NCC Buildings and Engineering

Team: Alexander Forsch, Alexander Ejsing, Arvis Tarts, Bart Smets, Birk Folke Daugaard, Caroline Krogh Andersen, Carsten Udbye, Clement Bue Maali, Eik Bjerregaard, Ela Czyzewska, Emmeily Zhang, Dan Stubbergaard, Dorte Buchardt Westergaard, Karoline Liedtke, Kristoffer Harling, Ludvig Holtenäs, Maya Grøn, Mette Vædele, Nikolaj Harving, Peter Laust Hønnecke, Rasmus Bernhard Nielsen, Rasmus Lassen, Rasmus Nielsen, Rosa Bui, Sara Jønler, Sonia Bom, Thomas Krarup, Tonny Jensen, Turid Ohlsson, Ulrich Pohl.

Photographer: Rasmus Hjortshøj – COAST

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