Danish architecture studio COBE and clients Klaus Kastbjerg and NRE Denmark have re-created the 50-year-old grain storage silo in Copenhagen, Denmark’s, waterfront industrial district from the ground up—quite literally—as a 17-story residential building. With new cladding and a striking silhouette that towers above its surroundings, The Silo is a prominent presence in the new Nordhavn (North Harbor) redevelopment project.
The design team, led by COBE founder and creative director Dan Stubbergaard, intends for The Silo to serve as an “urban focal point for the new development at Nordhavn.” The concrete structure’s new, angular, faceted skin of galvanized steel frames its windows, enhances its aesthetic appeal, and acts as a climate screen, directing warmth to a space designed to be kept cool.
The 38 one- and two-story apartment units are designed to fit the spatial variations of the original grain silo interior, which is kept as untouched as possible. Private units are divided with concrete support columns in unique configurations, and some residences have ceilings up to 7 meters tall (23 feet). Floor space ranges from 106 to 401 square meters (1,141 to 4,316 square feet).
Public spaces are in the works for The Silo’s lower and upper levels. The mirrored-glass top floor will contain a restaurant with 360-degree views of the surrounding city and sea, while the ground floor is designated as a flexible event space.
The Silo’s residential units and ground-floor space opened in May, and the top-floor restaurant is due to open later this year. The future Nordhavn development plans, also by COBE, are currently on display on the ground floor.
