The Silo is part of the transformation of Copenhagen’s North Harbour – a vast post-industrial development, currently being transformed into a new city district. Designed by Danish architects COBE with clients Klaus Kastbjerg and NRE Denmark, a 17-storey former grain silo and the largest industrial building in the area has been transformed into “The Silo”, housing residential apartments and public functions.
Dan Stubbergaard, Founder and Creative Director of COBE, says: “We wanted to retain the spirit of The Silo as much as possible – both in terms of its monolithic exterior and majestic concrete interior, by simply draping it with a new overcoat. The aim was to transform it from the inside out in such a way that its new inhabitants and the surrounding urban life would highlight the structure’s identity and heritage. Hence, the use of galvanized steel for the facade, which patinates in a raw way and retains the original harbour character and material feel, lending a roughness and raw beauty to the area, as in its industrial past.”
The Silo won the Judges’ Award at the Global Galvanizing Awards in 2018 where projects are evaluated for their effective and innovative use of galvanizing in architecture and civil engineering, as well as the functionality and aesthetics of the structure.
‘The Silo: New facade for north Copenhagen‘ has since been published by EGGA. Written by an award-winning architectural journalist, Isabelle Priest, the book tells the story of Copenhagen’s industrial area, where the original building’s construction began in 1958. The historical architecture of the city’s North Harbour is depicted with original pictures of the site. The reader is then taken through COBE’s journey from the planning stages to the construction of the façade including the rationale for using batch galvanized steel. The production and installation chapters explain the process of ‘bringing The Silo to life’.
‘The Silo: New facade for north Copenhagen‘ can be requested from Marina Hofmann at marina@egga.com.
