BLOX

When BLOX opened its doors in 2018, it was more than just another building — it also became the new home of the Danish Architecture Center, among others. In other words, it was a statement. Some argue that its scale is unruly, as if someone had been allowed to stack boxes without supervision — a building that sparked local headlines, heated debates, and strong emotions among Copenhageners, each with their own view of the structure on the harbor’s edge. 

At the same time, BLOX stands as an award-winning, internationally recognized signature building designed by one of today’s most influential architecture studios, OMA (The Office for Metropolitan Architecture). Created in a moment shaped by ideals of openness, access, and transparency — ideals that continue to resonate — BLOX uses its glass façade and open structure not only to mirror but to translate these values into built form. And yet, transparency does not necessarily make a building easy to read. 

The exhibition invites you to delve into and explore everything that lies behind the architecture: the visions, compromises, dreams, and negotiations that set the foundation for BLOX and continue to shape its character and its presence on the waterfront today. The green glass, the scale, the placement, the passages, the encounter with the water — everything you thought you knew will be unpacked in new and unexpected ways. 

At the same time, the history of the site itself unfolds. Over centuries, the Bryghus site has shifted from fortress and shipyard to industrial harbor and now cultural waterfront. From the city’s backside to its front door. Today, the area around BLOX — from Lille Langebro to the water’s edge — has become one of Copenhagen’s most vibrant hubs, where architecture, movement, and urban life merge and shape how we use and experience the city. 

The exhibition is presented in DAC’s Stair Gallery, where the story of BLOX unfolds step by step through an installation that not only takes you behind the scenes but invites you to become part of the story of Bryghuspladsen — before, during, and after BLOX. 

Trace the evolution of the harbor, explore OMA’s architectural strategies, and study a large sectional model of BLOX — a spatial collage where scale, edges, and lines can be experienced with your body, like a stage inviting you to step in, take part, and experience the building from the inside in a way few have before.