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Architects: Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects
Architects: COBE
GHB Landscape Architects: GHB Landscape Architects
Client: NCC Bolig A/S


There is a direct view of Copenhagen’s canals, with people strolling along the harbor’s edge, floating silently through the water in kayaks, swimming or sunning themselves in the vibrant, buzzing squares. Krøyers Plads provides a simultaneous sense of being in a small, evocative, lush oasis and in an integral part of the surrounding metropolis. But its unique location is not the building’s only special feature. It is also the first block of flats in Denmark to be awarded the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.

The architecture exists in a delicate balance with the urban space around it – the historic warehouses. It manages to integrate the new buildings by investing them with geometric and material features that mirror those of the old warehouse buildings, at the same time creating a distinctive architectural landmark in a contemporary idiom. The project’s choice of brick façade and building volumes etc. reflects the aesthetic of the entire site, transforming it into modern architecture.

The asymmetric, grass-covered saddle roof ensures improvement of the microclimate and also helps to limit the impact of extreme rain on the sewerage system.

From the very start, the goal was to create the very first Nordic Swan Ecolabeled housing development. It is a label that presupposes incredibly high standards of sustainability in terms of both environment and structural quality, and the project also excels by integrating several sustainable development aspects. For example, investment was made in developing the contractor’s knowledge and competencies in order to eliminate dangerous substances. The project also demanded a great deal of each and every party involved in the construction to ensure that they all complied with the material requirements.

All materials were examined in minute detail before work started, otherwise it would probably have been too late. The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is not formally awarded to a building until all documentation has been approved and an inspection visit shows that all materials in the construction are in order.

That is why Krøyers Plads was constructed using special materials that contained no hazardous substances. It was not an option to utilize the type of glue, insulation, building panels and joint filler one would normally use in a conventional building. In a Nordic Swan Ecolabeled building, it takes a lot more than simply complying with the applicable legal requirements. For example, the joint filler used on floor panels and around the windows is phthalate-free.

In addition to the requirement that the construction materials must contain no hazardous substances, low energy consumption is also a prerequisite. A Nordic Swan Ecolabeled building must be at least 25% more energy efficient than current regulatory requirements. At the start of the project in 2011, the construction at Krøyers Plads was almost 40% better than the regulatory requirements at that time (they were revised in late 2015).

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