A Factory for
Art and Design
Site
Sundholmsvej 46, 2300 SCopenhagen S
Go from the main entrance to the south side of the building where you can enter trough the gate.
Open
Saturday 10-17
Accessibility
- Hoist / ramp / level access to the front door
- Level access in the building / site (no stairs)
- Level access to outdoor areas
- Lift
- Accessible restroom
- Locked doors can be opened from the outside in case of emergency
- Chairs or benches to rest on
- Possible to eat / drink
- Disabled parking
- Teleloop
- Member of Solsikkesnoren
- Member of God adgang
Take a look inside FABRIKKEN in Sundholm –Denmark’s largest collection of studios for professional artists and designers. Here, you can experience the grand old factory hall, originally home to an industrial laundry facility for hospitals, with a gabled roof and beautiful skylights – and you can even visit the private studios.
It’s easy to understand how artists could see the potential in the old industrial laundry facility in Sundholm. The old hall is awash in cool. The building was designed by municipalarchitect Poul Holsøe in 1939 and is a prime example of the functionalist style of the period.
Laundry for Hospitals
Until the mid-1970s, the hall housed an industrial laundry facility. Around 100 men and women worked here, washing bedding for Copenhagen’s hospitals. Sundholm, as the area is called, was an institution for social outcasts – criminals, homeless people and prostitutes. They were placed in the institution and forced to work in Sundholm’s many workshops and smaller industrial enterprises. The laundry was one of these enterprises.
Artists Take Over the Building
Today, FABRIKKEN is home to 51 studios, occupied by 70 professional artists and designers, as well as a 1,000-square-meter hall for exhibitions and events. The hall has an impressive gabled ceiling comprising tall triangles with windows on one side. This creates a distinctive and atmospheric inflow of light. When the building was refurbished, the original wall color was found – a pale gray-blue color that’s a perfect match for the functionalist architecture. FABRIKKEN is home to many creatives, including furniture designer Claus Bjerre, photograph/artist Charlotte Haslund-Christensen and artist/designer Eske Rex.
During Open House, you can take a look inside this beautiful functionalist building and get a peek at the artistic process when the artists and designers open the doors to their studios.
