Nordea Bank by Henning Larsen Architects

In 2011, Danish firm Henning Larsen Architects in collaboration with Signal Architects and SLA Landscape Architects, won the competition for the new Nordea Bank’s new office building in Ørestad North, Copenhagen. The new 40,000 m² building will house 1,800-2,200 people and will be inaugurated in 2016.

Illustration © Henning Larsen Architects

Stage one of the project consists of two light, sculptural buildings placed on a base. The architects developed architectural concept that reflects the functionality of the building. The shared functions are all placed at the base building, while the effective office floors are all situated on top of the base.

To the south, the building is characterized by a sophisticated, sloping park landscape and to the north by an open ground floor and tile facades on the lower floors.

– Henning Larsen Architects

Illustration © Henning Larsen Architects

The building is organized functionally as a city, offering intimate spaces, as well as squares and streets full of life and activity. The individual departments offer both quiet and active sections. The functionality of the layout encourages collaboration, innovation and knowledge sharing across departments and professional fields. The architects created a design that would give employees the best opportunities to produce results in an inspiring work environment.

Illustration © Henning Larsen Architects

The building interacts with the city, opens up and invites for activity at different levels. It will be a place in the city that offers activity inside as well as outside.

– Henning Larsen Architects

Illustration © Henning Larsen Architects

The jury of the competition refers to Henning Larsen’s winning design as : “innovative and challenges the surround of Nordea, but also to a certain degree represents a both recognizable and robust architecture”. Moreover, they describe the building as “a clear layout, which provides close contact between the functions in the individual departments. At the same time, the layout allows for beautiful views from the office spaces and surroundings directly into the Trading Floor, which is one of Nordea’s most visible and significant functions.”

While the new Nordea Bank building will become an architectural and functional landmark in Ørestad North, the architects wanted to also create a holistic sustainable design. Focusing on minimizing the energy consumption of the building, the building will achieve the LEED Platinum certification offering an energy consumption of 41 kWh/m²/year.

Illustration © Henning Larsen Architects

Illustration © Henning Larsen Architects

Illustration © Henning Larsen Architects

Illustration © Henning Larsen Architects

Illustration © Henning Larsen Architects

Illustration © Henning Larsen Architects

Illustration © Henning Larsen Architects

Illustration © Henning Larsen Architects

Illustration © Henning Larsen Architects

Illustration © Henning Larsen Architects

Illustration © Henning Larsen Architects

Illustration © Henning Larsen Architects

Facts:

Client: Nordea Properties
Architect: Henning Larsen Architects
Workspace design: Signal Architects
Landscape architect: SLA
Consulting engineer: COWI
Gross floor area: 40,000 m² (stage one – with opportunity for additional 30,000 m² in a later stage)
Construction period: 2013-2016
Type of assignment: 1st prize in invited competition

Team at Henning Larsen Architects:

Design: Louis Becker (responsible partner), Kostas Poulopoulos (architectural design manager), Søren Øllgaard (architectural design manager), Julian Chen, Brandon Hall, Anders Park (project manager), Blanca Ulzurrun, Ingela Larsson, Marie Hildebrand Frederiksen, Morten Krog and Per Ebbe Hansson

Sustainability concept: Signe Kongebro, Jakob Strømann-Andersen, Erik Folke Holm-Hansson, Philip Johansen and Lise Manfeldt Faurbjerg

Illustrations: Christian Schjøll, Wesam Asali and Hung-Kai Liao

*All illustrations and information courtesy of Henning Larsen Architects.