Nordhavn: A well thought through urban transformation of an industrial port done the Danish way

The north of Europe is adorned with the Merchants’ Harbor. Within this one, known for centuries, there are two smaller ones, each of which is very interesting due to its own characteristics. The New Harbor has been flaunting its picturesque qualities for decades, in the photographs of tourists who visit it both for its beauty and its bohemian spirit. On the other hand, in recent years, the Northern Harbor, which is currently the largest urban development project in Scandinavia, has also attracted more and more attention within the Merchants’ Harbor.

In order to make the story clearer for us to follow, we should return to the official names. We are talking about Copenhagen (literally “merchants’ harbor”) and the city’s parts called Nyhavn (“new harbor”) and Nordhavn (“northern harbor”). Many stories have been told about the very popular tourist district of Nyhavn, but when it comes to Nordhavn, it is a part of Copenhagen that has attracted attention only in the past ten years and it seems that it will continue to attract more.

And how could it not when it is a detailed urban transformation of the former industrial port of the same name into a modern residential and business district of Copenhagen. One might wonder how this differs from Belgrade, where former industrial zones and port areas have also been transformed into residential and business districts in recent years. Formally perhaps not, but essentially, and indeed, in many ways, it does. First of all, it differs in urban thinking and long-term planning of the city’s development.

The city of Copenhagen and the Danish authorities launched the project to transform the former port into a residential and business district at the end of the first decade of this century, within which an international competition was held as well. The idea is to transform the port area in phases into a modern, sustainable district of Copenhagen and, ultimately, when it is completed (according to current estimates, in about 20 to 30 years) it will be home to about 80,000 people, of whom 40,000 will live there, and another 40,000 will come to work.

– When we build settlements in Copenhagen, we aim to create a mix of commercial buildings and residential areas, or apartments. The Nordhavn project is being developed on about 300 hectares. It currently has about 20,000 people – says guide Jorn Madsen.

Nordhavn already consists of numerous modern residential and commercial buildings. However, there are also some old buildings, which are historically important for Copenhagen, and which have been revitalized and thoroughly renovated in recent years during the process of transforming the former port area. Some other old buildings, such as silos, have been transformed into commercial and residential buildings.



As Madsen reminds us, many buildings in Copenhagen are built of brick for a reason, because it is a high-quality insulator. Good construction practices are also applied in Nordhavn, but also some innovations, so within the framework of this urban development project, a system of raising buildings based on wooden structures is now also used. Madsen notes that this construction system is relatively new in Denmark and that they are still learning how it is done and applied in construction. The process of creating such a facility was also witnessed live by a group of journalists from Serbia who visited Nordhavn during a media visit to Denmark organized as part of the Pulse of Europe project funded by the European Union.



In addition to the quality of construction of residential and commercial buildings, Nordhavn also pays equal attention to the development of public spaces, the areas between buildings, primarily so that the people who live there and spend time there every day feel comfortable and connected to each other. One of the mottos in Nordhavn, he emphasizes, is “life between houses.”

Therefore, it is not without reason that, between the buildings, in addition to the well-maintained green pockets, greened playgrounds and relaxation areas, you can also see tables and chairs intended for coffee breaks with neighbors. In addition, the tenants of the buildings, as he says, receive additional funds to further arrange the space in accordance with their wishes. One of the special features of Nordhavn is that, as Madsen pointed out, it also has the first water playground in Copenhagen for the youngest ones.



And, speaking of water, although this city within a city is emerging on the site of the former port, the water in it is exceptionally clean, Madsen emphasizes. Nordhavn consists of numerous developed canals, and on the larger water surfaces within the settlement, a group of Serbian journalists dressed in multiple layers of clothes, who toured this part of Copenhagen during a cool May morning, noticed several residents enjoying a swim and, without shivering in the slightest after this refreshment, heading back to their apartments.

In all parts of this quarter of Copenhagen, you can also notice a lot of trees. And next to each tree there is a green bag. Madsen indicates that this is due to the maintenance and watering of the trees, and each of them receives 20 liters of water daily.

We noticed something else - there are cars in Nordhavn, but we did not notice any paths clogged with four-wheelers anywhere. And there is a reason for this, because as Madsen revealed, a large garage is located under the water, that is, under the settlement. But, he adds, many of those who live and work in Nordhavn, like many other Copenhageners, use bicycles as a means of transportation, because there is a specially arranged express bicycle lane from Nordhavn to the city center, which allows you to cover the distance in ten to fifteen minutes. And those who do not ride a bicycle or a car can use the subway train, which runs every four minutes, which means you don’t need to look at the clock to see when it will arrive, adds Madsen, joking that you can also reach the center by kayak, given the well-maintained network of canals.



In addition to all this, an international school also operates in Nordhavn for, as he says, about 1,200 children.

Of course, taking into account all these details and sustainability in a neighborhood like this has its price, and when it comes to Nordhavn, it is EUR 10,000 or about 80,000 Danish kroner per square meter.



However, this does not mean that only the wealthy can afford for themselves and their families to live there. This neighborhood is designed so that both workers and less wealthy can Danes live there... And not in separate parts of Nordhavn, but next to each other and, above all, with each other. Because, as Madsen emphasizes, the idea, and the housing policy in Denmark, is not to create ghettos but to connect people, neighbors, regardless of status, with each other, that social housing implies integration, not ghettoization.

It seems that this is one of the main reasons why the urban transformation project of Nordhavn is essentially incomparable with the transformation projects of former industrial zones that are being developed in our region.



What was a precursor of sorts to all this

The story of the urban transformation of this part of Copenhagen does not end here, but essentially goes back to the beginning. Because, not far from the residential and business part of Nordhavn is UN City, a kind of precursor to the more detailed transformation of the former port area. And how did it all begin?

The UN has been present in Denmark since 1957, when the World Health Organization opened its office in Copenhagen. In the meantime, other UN agencies also opened their offices, and at some point it was realized that there were about a dozen UN agencies in several parts of Copenhagen. And then it was decided to create a single hub where all these agencies would be located. That’s how the idea of UN City came about.

– This place was chosen for the location of the future building, because the UN already had an old warehouse here. The design of the building was created by the 3XN team of architects. The original idea was to design a building that would resemble an outstretched hand, but the architects soon realized that they could not accommodate people from all the UN agencies in those five fingers. So instead of an outstretched hand, the building took the shape of a compass, because Denmark has a long history of seafaring, and the compass is a symbol of that. At the same time, the compass symbolizes the UN’s activities in all parts of the world – explains communications consultant Najam ul Assar.

Work on the building began in 2009. The construction used mainly materials from Denmark and neighboring countries - Germany, Sweden and Norway. The building was completed in 2013, and the employees, currently around 2,000 of them from more than 100 countries, moved in in July 2014.

Water concept important for sense of security, but also for sustainability

If you look at the UN City building from a bird’s eye view, you get the impression that it is on an island. So, it is not surprising that in addition to offices and a canteen, the employees have a gym, doctors...

– The only thing is that we do not sleep here, but it is clear that UN City is designed as a self-sufficient city – notes Najam ul Assar and adds that the proximity of water and the concept of water itself are particularly important for the employees of UN City.

– It is important for us because it gives us a sense of security and privacy. But, since Denmark is a safe country, of course we did not build a wall around UN City, because if you have walked around Copenhagen, you have noticed that many do not have curtains. We did not want to build something that would give the impression that we are aliens, but we wanted to be connected to the rest of the city instead – emphasizes Najam ul Assar.

When it comes to water, it is equally important for UN City for sustainability reasons. For example, when it rains, which is not uncommon in Copenhagen, rainwater is collected and used to clean the toilets.



– We would like to be able to filter it and use it for drinking, but we do not have enough space for such equipment. But, on the other hand, we have pipes in the walls, and their purpose is, since we do not have an artificial cooling and heating system for the building, in the summer when it is warmer we take water from the sea and pump it into the walls for cooling. When it comes to heating, the initial idea was to use seawater for that, and we would like to be able to produce enough energy for that ourselves, but we cannot, so we use the sustainable heating system used in Copenhagen – he says and points out that the white color of the building was also chosen on purpose, precisely for reasons of sustainability.

The entire UN City building is based on sensors. In winter, they are used to open the blinds to let in as much sun and light as possible, and in summer, they are closed to prevent the building from overheating. There are also solar panels on the roof that provide 10% of the annual energy consumption. However, it is clear that this is not enough, so UN City is working with the local community to provide additional clean energy. Food scraps also help here.

– The portions at UN City are small, but for practical reasons, so that there is as little food waste as possible. But since there is always food waste in the end, we have containers in our basement for collecting organic waste, and since we do not have enough space for a biogas plant, we have a partner which takes this organic waste and processes it into biogas for us – explains Najam ul Assar.

And so that the building, which operates around the clock due to employees from different meridians, does not waste electricity unnecessarily, sensors again play an important role here. For example, if one of the employees needs to work at one in the morning, the lights will not turn on in the entire building, but only in the area where that employee is located.

When it comes to transportation, there are hundreds of bicycle spaces in the UN City complex and they are always packed with two-wheelers because many people cycle from home to work in UN City.

The UN City building, according to Najam ul Assar, does not quite 100% meet the carbon neutrality standards, but it certainly has a LEED platinum sustainability certificate.

– UN City, like our environment, is guided by a policy of clean energy and sustainability and our goal is to fulfill the principle of carbon neutrality by 2026 – emphasizes Najam ul Assar.



“Piano stairs” as the heart of the building

The central part of the UN City building is the stairs that are designed to give the impression of walking on the keys of a piano. They are important, he notes, for several reasons.

– Among the most important ones is connecting the UN agencies that are in the building and inviting the people who work in them. The second reason is health, or rather walking them. If you need to go up and down several times during the day, there is a good chance that you will meet the daily requirement for the recommended number of steps during the day. We call them the heart of UN City because different arteries on different floors connect to that heart – says Najam ul Assar.

A 15-minute walk to a smoke break

There is no smoking area in the UN City building, so anyone who wants to take a smoke break has to leave the UN City complex, and since not all parts of the building are equally far from the entrance, some smokers need quite a bit of time, but also good form, to go for that break and come back from it. Because the most distant offices take about 15 minutes.

The largest UN humanitarian warehouse in the world

The old UN warehouse, on the site of which UN City was built, has been replaced by a new, highly automated and robotized one, which covers more than 20,000 square meters and is located about a 15-minute drive away. The warehouse is run by UNICEF and serves the needs of urgent UN deliveries around the world. It employs about 300 people, not around the clock, but in case of emergency, such as during the Covid era, necessary deliveries are quickly prepared and sent by cargo transport.

Dejan Aleksic

Nordhavn

UN City

3XN

Jorn Madsen

Najam ul Assar

Pulse of Europe

carbon neutrality