Sluseholmen Canal District ( Danish: Sluseholmen Kanalby) is a residential development on the

Sluseholmen Sluseholmen () is an artificial peninsula in the South Harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark. It takes its name from Slusen, a lock immediately to the south, regulating water levels in the harbor. Previously the site of heavy industry and part of the S ...

peninsula in the South Harbour area of

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 ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. The development comprises 1,350 apartments on eight artificial islands, separated by dug-out canals. On each island is an enclosed block of four-to-seven stories, surrounding a sheltered

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary a ...

with public access. The buildings often stand directly on the canals, while bridges,

wharf A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (mo ...

s and "

ghats Ghat (), a term used in the Indian subcontinent, to refer to the series of steps leading down to a body of water or wharf, such as a bathing or cremation place along the banks of a river or pond, the Ghats in Varanasi, Dhobi Ghat or the Aap ...

" allow direct contact with the water. The development was designed by the Danish firm of architects

Arkitema Arkitema Architects is a Danish architectural firm headquartered in Aarhus, with branch offices in Copenhagen, Malmö, Stockholm and Oslo. Arkitema Architects was founded in 1969 in Aarhus, and nowadays has about 400 employees with its main activ ...

in collaboration with the Dutch architects

Sjoerd Soeters Sjoerd Soeters (born 2 August 1947 in Nes) is a well-known postmodern Dutch architect. Among other projects, he is known for his work on Amsterdam's Java Island and Houthaven, Copenhagen's Sluseholmen, the apartment complex "The Pyramids" (De P ...

, but to ensure a varied cityscape the facades of individual townhouses were designed by 20 different architecture practices.

History

The Sluseholmen peninsula used to house heavy industry, including a

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

car factory. As industry left the area, a plan was conceived to develop Sluseholmen into a canal district. This was the result of co-operation between Sjoerd Soeters, Arkitema, the

Port of Copenhagen The Port of Copenhagen () is the largest Denmark, Danish seaport and one of the largest ports in the Baltic Sea basin. It extends from Svanemølle Beach in the north to Hvidovre in the south. Along with Malmö harbour, Copenhagen Port is operate ...

and the City of Copenhagen. Construction started in 2004, the first residents arrived in 2007, and by 2008 development of the new canal district had been completed.

Architecture

The general concept for the area was developed by Sjoerd Soeters and Arkitema, with inspiration from the artificial island residential development in Amsterdam. Arkitema also developed the shell structures. To ensure a varied cityscape, inspired by Copenhagen

vernacular architecture Vernacular architecture (also folk architecture) is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. It is not a particular architectural movement or style but rather a broad category, encompassing a wide range a ...

from around 1900, the facades of individual townhouses were designed by 20 different Danish architecture firms. Arkitema drew up a list of rules governing the materials used, colours, and the proportions of the facade designs. It was also decided that at least five different firms had to be involved in the design of each island. The result is lively and imaginative block housing, highly diverse in appearance.

External links

Sluseholmen
at Copenhagen X
Sluseholmen
at Arkitema

References

{{coord missing, Denmark Apartment buildings in Copenhagen Canals in Copenhagen Port of Copenhagen Redeveloped ports and waterfronts in Denmark