Client: JM Danmark A/S

Overview

Nordlyset (Northern Lights) is a sculptural 11.000 m2 residential block with an expressive facade, located in the new urban quarter around Amerika Plads in Copenhagen.
The development takes the form of a white-plastered block surrounding an interior outdoor courtyard. The facade line is broken to the north and south, giving the building an organic expression, while the bright and friendly-looking apartments enjoy a view of the Sound. The details emphasise the overall expression, with coloured glass panels in a bright striped pattern, designed in co-operation with the visual artist Ruth Campau.

Goals

The aim was to completely integrate art not as mere decoration, but as part of the expression and functionality of the architecture - creating a strong identitiy for the project as part of it's pioneering nature as one of the first plots developped in a former industrial port site.

Process

Nordlyset was the result of close collaboration between the architects and Ruth Campau. A photographic process transformed the artist's brush strokes into a striped pattern that can be found on glass in different parts of the building, for example at the entrances and around the elevators. From outside, the patterns can be seen on some of the double sheets of glass that are mounted perpendicular to the façade and serve as partitions between balconies.