Long Section

Alexander Rieck on the future of book publishing

COBE transforms a former grain silo in Copenhagen into 38 unique apartments.

Text Terri Peters

Photos Rasmus Hjortshøj / Coast

is growing so fast that the Danish capital is extending outward. Just 4 km north of the centre, a new city is emerging in the waterfront district of Nordhavn. Master-planned by local office COBE, which is building several projects in the area, in time the entire district will be transformed, extended, demolished or renovated, eventually becoming the largest metropolitan development in Scandinavia.

COBE recently completed The Silo, a radical renovation of a massive concrete grain silo from 1962 that had been abandoned for a decade, unloved and filled with graffiti, pigeons and rainwater until forward-thinking developer Klaus Kastbjerg and NRE Denmark stepped in to give it a new lease of life. Having previously collaborated with Kastbjerg on the adaptive reuse of PapirØen – or Paper Island – in Copenhagen, the architects felt confident that they could work together with the other players to create something special. The focus has been on celebrating the scale and proportions of the enormous structure and expressing honestly what is new and what is old. The building wears a shimmering suit of galvanized-steel armour whose faceted surface features integrated balconies that seem to be ‘in between’ the new and old structures. In the summer of 2017, when the project was nearing completion, people started to move in. Later this year a rooftop restaurant will open to the general public. The Silo has been reborn while retaining its monumental brutalist appearance.

On a mid-September afternoon, the walk from the train station to the new Nordhavn developments is loud and windy. Construction hoarding is everywhere. In this flat, cluttered terrain, it would be easy to get lost, but The Silo’s unmistakable form on the skyline provides an excellent orientation point. ‘Originally, the plan was to tear down these old industrial silos, but luckily for us the developer spotted their potential,’ says Dan Stubbergaard, head of COBE. I’m touring the building with him and Klaus Kastbjerg, who guides us into the residents’ lobby, where a small section of glazed floor lets light enter the fitness area. ‘This is where the grain came in,’ he says. ‘Lorries drove through this large entrance and emptied grain down these chutes into the basement. We kept them, because we want to celebrate the building’s history. You see them every time you enter.’ Similarly, in The Silo’s ground-floor exhibition space, black-painted metal chutes poke from the ceiling and remain as clues to the building’s previous life.

From the beginning, Kastbjerg and Stubbergaard plotted to capitalize on the unique opportunities presented by this structure. Their concept went beyond the building’s considerable height, which made it attractive as a development site – at 62 m, it is far higher than city planning regulations allow for new buildings – to include unique apartments and facilities. A glazed rooftop extension will accommodate a restaurant accessible to the public and terraces with panoramic views of the water and the city. Each of the 38 apartments – encompassing either one or two storeys – has a different floor plan. Ceiling heights range from 3 to 7 m. The top-floor corner unit, currently for sale, is rumoured to be the most expensive apartment in the city.

Walking around in one of The Silo’s grander residences evokes images of machinery used for industrial operations. Balconies on three sides offer views of the harbour and the city. Kastbjerg tells me that the high ceiling and the exposed concrete surfaces led this apartment to be nicknamed ‘The Cathedral’. Black-steel spiral stairs ascend to an upper level with bedrooms and a surprisingly luxurious bathroom.

‘It was important to preserve as much of the existing building as possible and to get the details right,’ says Stubbergaard. ‘We installed window frames and glazing from the outside, for example, neatly cutting the concrete to show that the building has a double façade.’ The meticulous detailing is remarkable. Concrete around the windows was polished with sliced stone, and the layering of old and new is distinct. Carving windows and doors out of the concrete structure ‘required about 30 km of diamond drilling’, he says. ‘The massive building is like a rock. We could not bring ourselves to cut small windows.’ Leftover concrete from the original silo is visible at ground level outside the building, where the reused material is stacked as though it fell from a high window and landed there to become outdoor seating.

Converting the grain silo was not without significant challenges, which probably explains why the building was overlooked as a development project for so long. ‘Each prefabricated façade unit had to be unique,’ says Stubbergaard. ‘When engineers surveyed the building, they discovered that the dimensions vary about 22 cm from front to back and side to side, so the exterior units may look the same, but they aren’t quite identical.’ Every prefabricated façade component boasts galvanized-steel cladding, insulation, and a balcony with laser-cut perforations that shade the interior. ‘We calculated it would take 80 days for the new façade installation. It took a bit longer but was still relatively quick.’

Despite the many demands, The Silo is an exceptional example of adaptive reuse. Public spaces at ground level and in the rooftop extension are large-scale community functions for everyone, not just for those who can afford to live in a luxury apartment. It’s a perfect place for concrete enthusiasts, a group that includes many architects. COBE’s current office is in a former industrial warehouse on PapirØen, but change is in the air. ‘Next month we will move our office just a few blocks away from The Silo – and get a taste of our own medicine,’ Stubbergaard laughs.

Although the interior of The Silo was left as raw and untouched as possible, the exterior has a new steel cladding intended to protect the building from the climate; architect Dan Stubbergaard describes it as a ‘new overcoat’.