Located along Copenhagen’s Nordhavn waterfront, Pakhus 47 was originally built in 1947 for the storage of coffee and other goods. Its recent transformation into a contemporary workplace is grounded in a clear sustainability strategy: to reuse rather than replace. By retaining and upgrading the existing warehouse structure, the project extends the life of a robust industrial building while avoiding the material intensity and carbon cost of demolition and complete reconstruction.

Reuse as the primary environmental strategy

The project’s most significant sustainability move is its commitment to adaptive reuse. The existing concrete structure, exposed steel elements, brickwork, and timber have been carefully retained and restored, allowing the warehouse’s industrial character to remain visible and materially legible. This approach preserves embodied energy already invested in the building and reduces the volume of new construction materials required.

New insertions are intentionally light and transparent, making them clearly distinguishable from the original fabric. Rather than competing with the warehouse, these interventions support current performance needs while maintaining the integrity of the historic structure. Careful detailing at junctions between old and new ensures the building can remain cohesive, adaptable, and maintainable over time.

Interior quality and adaptability

Inside, the project is organised around open and flexible workspaces that can accommodate changing modes of use. Shared social areas are integrated into the plan to support collaboration and everyday interaction, helping the workplace function as more than a series of enclosed offices.

Environmental quality has also been addressed through attention to daylight, acoustics, and indoor air quality. These factors are central to long-term user wellbeing and are especially important in workplace retrofits, where older industrial buildings must be carefully upgraded to meet contemporary expectations of comfort and health.

From industrial enclosure to civic presence

At ground level, public functions such as a restaurant and meeting spaces open the building to the surrounding neighbourhood. This shift transforms a formerly closed warehouse into a more accessible urban presence, linking reuse with social activation.
Pakhus 47 demonstrates that sustainable architecture can emerge through restraint: by preserving material value, improving performance, and adapting existing structures to support new forms of public and working life.