Ørestad

This expansive urban development project comprising four new neighborhoods was built from scratch where once there was nothing but green fields. The district is home to a wide variety of experimental architecture.

DR Koncerthuset by Jean Novel; VM Bjerget (p.101) and VM Husene by BIG, JDS and Plot; 8Tallet (p.111) by BIG; Tietgenkollegiet by Lundgaard & Tranberg Architects; and the cutting edge Ørestad Gymnasium and Royal Arena by 3XN. The list of signature buildings in the Copenhagen district of Ørestad goes on, which might explain its growing number of newcomers and tourists annually. With more than 11,500 people (and-counting) calling Ørestad home, and thousands now working and studying there, this is the largest cohesive urban development project in Copenhagen’s history.

Even so, since construction began in the late 1990s, it has been heavily criticised for its indefinable ‘non spaces’. The modernist planning approach to it has resulted in large open spaces devoid of life. The district mixes housing, business and education with leisure activities, cafés, stores and nature. This neighbourhood still feels far away from the city to many Copenhageners. But with bicycle-friendly bridges and a fast-running Metro due for completion in 2020, Ørestad is now becoming better linked with the rest of the city.