Sluseholmen Canal District (

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

: Sluseholmen Kanalby) is a residential development on the

Sluseholmen Sluseholmen (literally "The Sluice Isle") is an artificial peninsula in the South Harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark. It takes its name from Slusen, a lock immediately to the south, regulating water levels in the harbor. Previously the site of heavy ...

peninsula in the South Harbour area of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. The development comprises 1,350 apartments on eight artificial islands, separated by dug-out canals. On each island is an enclosed block of four-to-seven stories, surrounding a sheltered

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

with public access. The buildings often stand directly on the canals, while bridges,

wharf A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring locatio ...

s and "

ghats Ghat, a term used in the Indian subcontinent, depending on the context could refer either to a range of stepped hills with valleys (ghati in Hindi), such as the Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats; or the series of steps leading down to a body of ...

" allow direct contact with the water. The development was designed by the Danish firm of architects

Arkitema Arkitema Architects is a Danish architectural firm headquartered in Aarhus, with branch offices in Copenhagen, Malmö, Stockholm and Oslo. Arkitema Architects was founded in 1969 in Aarhus, and nowadays has about 400 employees with its main activi ...

in collaboration with the Dutch architects

Sjoerd Soeters Sjoerd Soeters (born 2 August 1947 in Nes) is a well-known postmodern Dutch architect. Among other projects, he is known for his work on Amsterdam's Java Island and Houthaven, Copenhagen's Sluseholmen, the apartment complex "The Pyramids" (De ...

, but to ensure a varied cityscape the facades of individual townhouses were designed by 20 different architecture practices.

History

The Sluseholmen peninsula used to house heavy industry, including a Ford car factory. As industry left the area, a plan was conceived to develop Sluseholmen into a canal district. This was the result of co-operation between Sjoerd Soeters, Arkitema, the Port of Copenhagen and the

City of Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. Construction started in 2004, the first residents arrived in 2007, and by 2008 development of the new canal district had been completed.

Architecture

The general concept for the area was developed by Sjoerd Soeters and Arkitema, with inspiration from the artificial island residential development in Amsterdam. Arkitema also developed the shell structures. To ensure a varied cityscape, inspired by Copenhagen vernacular architecture from around 1900, the facades of individual townhouses were designed by 20 different Danish architecture firms. Arkitema drew up a list of rules governing the materials used, colours, and the proportions of the facade designs. It was also decided that at least five different firms had to be involved in the design of each island. The result is lively and imaginative block housing, highly diverse in appearance.

External links

Sluseholmen
at Copenhagen X
Sluseholmen
at Arkitema

References

{{coord missing, Denmark Apartment buildings in Copenhagen Canals in Copenhagen Port of Copenhagen Redeveloped ports and waterfronts in Denmark