Entasis is a Danish architecture firm based in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. It takens its name from the Greek word for tension.

History

Entasis was founded by Christian and Signe Cold in 1996. Their first building, a new main entrance for

Copenhagen Zoo Copenhagen Zoo () is a zoological garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1859, it is one of the oldest zoos in Europe and is a member of EAZA. It comprises and is located in the municipality of Frederiksberg, sandwiched between the parks of ...

, was awarded the AIA Prize 'Best Building in Europe 1998'. In 2007 the firm won the open international competition for the redevelopment of the former

Carlsberg Carlsberg may refer to: Places * Carlsberg (district), a district in Copenhagen, Denmark ** Carlsberg station, its train station * Carlsberg, Germany, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany * Carlsberg Fjord, Greenland Other uses * Carlsbe ...

brewery site in Copenhagen, with a proposal which, in reaction to

Modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

planning, relied on dense,

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

town centres for inspiration. An emphasis on physical density and the

human scale Human scale is the set of physical qualities, and quantities of information, characterizing the human body, its motor, sensory, or mental capabilities, and human social institutions. Science vs. human scale Many of the objects of scientific i ...

are characteristic of their work. The same trend is seen in their entry for the Søtorvet competition in

Silkeborg Silkeborg () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 52,571 (1 January 2025).Copenhagen Zoo Copenhagen Zoo () is a zoological garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1859, it is one of the oldest zoos in Europe and is a member of EAZA. It comprises and is located in the municipality of Frederiksberg, sandwiched between the parks of ...

, Copenhagen (1998) * Kildeskovshallen,

Gentofte Gentofte () is a district of Gentofte Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Major landmarks include Gentofte Town Hall, Gentofte Hospital and Gentofte Church. Gentofte Lake with surrounding parkland and nature reserves form ...

, Copenhagen (2000) * Svanemøllen auditorium building, Danish Defense Academy, Copenhagen (2000) * 124 houses, Trekroner, Denmark (2002) * Parish Council building,

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

(2003) * ''Emaljehaven'' housing, 2004 * ''50+'' housing,

Ørestad Ørestad () is a developing city area in Copenhagen, Denmark, on the island of Amager. The area was developed using the new town concept, closely linked with the M1 (Copenhagen), M1 line of the Copenhagen Metro. Economically, income for the plan w ...

, Copenhagen (2005) * Carlsberg masterplan, Copenhagen (2007) * Spinderiet,

Valby Valby () is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. It is in the southwestern corner of Copenhagen Municipality, and has a mixture of different types of housing. This includes apartment blocks, terraced housing, area ...

, Copenhagen (2007) * ''Søtorvet'' masterplan,

Silkeborg Silkeborg () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 52,571 (1 January 2025).Eckersberg Medal The Eckersberg Medal (originally the ''Akademiets Aarsmedaille'' or Annual Academy Medal) is an annual award of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. It is named after Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, known as the father of Danish painting. The ...

* 2009 WAF Award (Future projects: Masterplanning category) for ''Carlsberg masterplan'' * 2009

Nykredit Architecture Prize The Nykredit Architecture Prize is the largest Danish architecture prize. Founded by the Nykredit Foundation (an arm of the Nykredit Group), it is awarded annually to a person, or group of people, who have personally, or through their work, made ...

References

External links

Official website

Svanemøllen Auditorium
at Copenhagen X {{DEFAULTSORT:Entasis (Company) Architecture firms of Denmark Architecture firms based in Copenhagen Companies based in Copenhagen Municipality Danish companies established in 1996 Design companies established in 1996