From the storage container to a residential building, "The silo", by COBE

From the storage container to the urban focal point, the rehabilitation of the old silo, "The Silo" by COBE, in an apartment building is part of the transformation of the "Nordhavn" of Copenhagen, a vast post-industrial harbour area, currently being transformed into a new city district.

The Silo, by COBE Architects. Photograph © Rasmus Hjortshøj

What makes the design from COBE architects unique is his still monolithic appearance under the renovation, stemming from the materiality and tacility of its construction. Its rational form and complex interior are a direct result of its original use and function as a grain silo.

Project description by COBE architects

The 17-storey transformed silo is a natural point of orientation in Copenhagen’s new neighborhood Nordhavn.

The spatial variation within the original silo is immense due to the various functions of storing and handling grain, creating space for 38 unique apartments. Single and multi-level apartments range from 106 m2 to 401 m2 in size, with floor heights of up to 7 meters.

Both the top and lower levels have public access, to ensure a multi-dimensional experience for the various users of the building. The Silo will be inhabited, but will also be a destination.

An urban focal point for the new development at Nordhavn.

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Floor plan. Image courtesy by © COBE Architects

Section plan. Image courtesy by © COBE Architects

Elevation plan. Image courtesy by © COBE Architects

Diagram. Image courtesy by © COBE Architects

Sketch from the project process. Image courtesy by © COBE Architects

Silo structure rendering. Image courtesy by © COBE Architects

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More information

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Architects

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COBE architects.

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Collaborator

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Balslev, Wessberg, NRE Danmark.

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Project team

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Dan Stubbergaard, Caroline Nagel, Eik Bjerregaard, Greta Tiedje, Claes Nilsson, Ted Schaumann, Navid Christensen, Alexander Ejsing, Rune Boserup, Liv Moodie, Johanne Holmsberg, Sune Mogensen, Anis Souissi, Morten Andersen, Matti Hein Nørgaard, Bart Smets, Milan Milenkovski, Iben Marie Borbye Pedersen, Antonia Szabo, Adam Wicherek, Caroline Henke, Emil Scharnweber, Emre Senoglu, Kaisa Lillemets, Milda Naujalyte, Elin Parry, Javier Hernani, Nika Koraca, Andrea Di Pompeo

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Client

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Klaus Kastbjerg and NRE Danmark

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Size

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10,000 m2

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Dates

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Commissioned in 2013, completed in 2017

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Location

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Nordhavnen, Copenhagen, Denmark.

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Photography

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Rasmus Hjorthøj - COAST, Thomas Bille, Anne Østerby.

DAN STUBBERGAARD. COBE

COBE is a limited liability company owned by Founder and Creative Director Dan Stubbergaard. COBE is a progressive and contemporary community of architects that focuses on architecture and design – from buildings to public space, to large scale urban planning. In 2005 Dan Stubbergaard and Vanessa Miriam Carlow founded COBE. The name COBE is derived from the two cities the founders are coming from - COpenhagen and BErlin. Since its establishment, COBE has gained international recognition through the realization of beautiful and innovative projects.

Today, COBE is two separate companies - one seated in Copenhagen (COBE ApS headed by Dan Stubbergaard), and one in Berlin (COBE Berlin GmbH headed by Prof. Dr. Vanessa Miriam Carlow). The two offices have shared a number of projects in the past, and apart from developing projects individually, they continue to share and collaborate on selected projects - also in the future.

COBE is situated in a refurbished warehouse centrally located on the Copenhagen harbor front, and currently employs approximately 50 dedicated architects, urban planners and administrative staff of different nationalities.

COBE is run by a management team consisting of Dan Stubbergaard and a core team of Project and Administration Managers. Together, they are responsible for the company’s overall development and strategic long-term goals.

All projects are developed in project teams, made up of a mix of senior and junior architects, which are led by a Project Manager. Cross-disciplinary teamwork is central in our working method and each project team cooperates with a wide range of external experts in order to obtain the best opportunities and potential towards finding innovative solutions in each particular project.

Selected awards.-

[2012] Nykredit’s Architecture Prize. Nykredit Foundation.
MIPIM Award - Best Refurbished Building. The Library Marché International des Professionnels de l'Immobilier.
[2011] Copenhagen Award for Architecture - Best Public Building. The Library. City of Copenhagen.
[2006] The Golden Lion. Best National Pavilion. International Venice Biennale of Architecture.