High-rise buildings take from the sky and have to give something back to the city.
Vilhelm Lauritzen Architekter is a Danish architectural firm founded in 1922 and headquartered in Copenhagen's Nordhavn district. The office realizes projects at all scales and places a special focus on complex typologies. The design follows the principles of Nordic modernism or the "inside-out" approach, which focuses on functionality, context and inclusivity.
Copyright: Vilhelm Lauritzen Architekten
On the former site of the Carlsberg brewery in Copenhagen, a new, lively district with its own identity has been created – Carlsberg Byen. It preserves the cultural heritage while presenting itself as modern and future-oriented. Nine residential towers characterize the silhouette, distinguished by their color scheme, materiality and strong relationship to the outdoor space. Among them is the Pasteurs Tårn (Pasteur Tower), which has been the tallest building and a striking landmark in the Danish capital since its completion.
From 1850 to 2008, the Carlsberg Brewery produced beer on the 33-hectare Carlsberg Byen site, which was once located just outside the city. Today it is surrounded by the districts of Vesterbro, Valby and Frederiksberg. But instead of selling the property, which had been greatly enhanced by the gentrification of Copenhagen, a new, lively urban quarter with apartments, offices, cultural and leisure facilities was to be created that would honor the cultural heritage of the listed building fabric. The open competition for the master plan was won by the Copenhagen-based architectural firm entasis. Their urban planning concept is based on the idea "that the spaces of the city are more important than the buildings". The idea was implemented with a tightly woven network of squares, streets, alleys, passages and backyards.
The preservation of the cultural heritage was achieved through a careful interplay of historical and added architecture: the dark brown façades of the new buildings correspond with those of the old red brick buildings, numerous small and large squares with play and recreation facilities combine the old and new buildings into a harmonious whole.
Landmarks in the neighbourhood are set by the residential towers: despite their outstanding size, they do not appear to be foreign bodies, but seem to grow out of their surroundings due to their positioning, shape, colour and materiality. All high-rise buildings have square floor plans, are very tall and narrow and, like their surroundings, are kept in warm earth tones.
Historic and new buildings enter into a successful symbiosis.
With a height of 120 metres and 38 storeys, Pasteurs Tårn has been the tallest residential building in Copenhagen since its completion in 2022. It marks the transition between the public park J.C. Jacobsens Have and the old industrial district. An eye-catcher is the rust-red Corten steel facade, whose relief-like surface structure creates plays of light and shadow and harmonizes with the lively textures of the old brick buildings. The high-rise was designed by the Danish architectural firm Vilhelm Lauritzen in collaboration with the Swedish firm Wingårdhs.
With 120 meters and 38 storeys,
the Pasteurs Tårn is Copenhagen's tallest building.
At 22.50 x 22.50 metres, the building's footprint is unusually small. In order to further emphasise the impression of a narrow and tall tower, the corners of the building were glazed or – on the upper floors – designed as outdoor seating with glass balustrades. In addition, there are French balconies on all floors – they are also designed as a link between indoor and outdoor space. Because even though it is very windy so close to the coast, private outdoor seating is very popular with the Danish population.
The corners of the building were glazed or – on the upper floors – designed as balconies with bi-folding glass walls to further emphasise the impression of a narrow, tall tower.
The balconies and loggias are relatively small or, in the case of the French version, only have a narrow exit. However, the floor-to-ceiling bi-folding doors from Solarlux, which open them, make them appear much more generous. This is due to the way the components work: they can be unfolded over the entire width of the window and parked as narrow glass packages on the side. No disturbing panel protrudes into the room. In this way, living and outdoor space combine to form a boundless unity. This also convinced Steen Trudsøe, project manager at Larsen von Vilhelm Lauritzen Arkitekter: "The bi-folding doors from Solarlux can be opened completely, so that the entire living area can be integrated into the balcony."
This "open-air concept" with bi-folding doors from Solarlux has been implemented in four other residential towers in the district: the 100-metre-high Bohrs Tårn and the 80-metre-high Vogelius Tårn, Daherup Tårn and Carls Tårn. Designed by various architectural firms.
All balconies, loggias and French balconies can be fully opened with bi-folding doors from Solarlux.
For the unprotected façades up to a height of 120 metres, it was necessary to ensure exceptional impermeability to driving rain of up to 1,200 Pa in accordance with DIN EN 12208. By comparison, the highest class 9A for unprotected windows and doors requires 600 Pa – a pressure equivalent to rain with wind force 11.
Solarlux took on this challenging task. Based on the Highline system, the research department developed a three-leaf bi-folding door, which was tested in the company's own test bench under realistic conditions – including the building connections. After the required 1,200 Pa were successfully achieved, the engineers went one step further: Even at a pressure of 1,350 Pa, the system remained completely tight.
The high demands on the bi-folding doors were not limited to impermeability to driving rain. In terms of design and construction, the manufacturer also adapted the Highline system to the specific needs of residential towers. The glazing had to have a maximum Ug value of 0.5 and at the same time offer effective sun protection. The frames were anodised on the outside and powder-coated in RAL 9010 on the inside. The connection details took into account a barrier-free threshold with integrated drainage. In addition, system posts were used for corner solutions, which can be "folded away" as an integral part when the elements are opened.
Pasteur Tower (height 120 m): Wingårdhs, Gothenburg and Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects, Nordhavn
Bohrs Tower (height 100 m): Wingårdhs, Gothenburg and Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects, Nordhavn
Carls Tower (height 80 m): Wingårdhs
Vogelius Tower (height 80 m): Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects / Holscher Nordberg Architects A/S
Dahlerup Tower (height 80 m): Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects / Holscher Nordberg Architects A/S
Built-in systems: Highline bi-folding doors
