Copenhagen’s skyline has a new star. The Tip of Nordø, a sleek 60-meter cylinder of glass and steel, now dominates the Nordhavn waterfront like a modern lighthouse. This isn’t just another office building – it’s the result of a dream team collaboration between Cobe, Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects, and Third Nature, three firms that know how to make waves in Danish architecture.
The building wrapped up construction in 2024, and the accolades started rolling in almost immediately. This year, it snagged one of Copenhagen’s most coveted honors at the Copenhagen Building Award, with judges calling out its exceptional architectural quality.
Designer: Cobe, Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects, and Third Nature
Design and Architecture
The architects didn’t just plop down a generic office tower. Instead, they looked around and saw history. The cylindrical shape deliberately echoes the old silos that used to line Copenhagen’s industrial waterfront, giving a nod to the past while racing toward the future. The facade alone is a masterpiece – 925 precisely placed elements covering 12,000 square meters, each one positioned to catch the light just right and keep the building’s energy bills in check.
What really sets this building apart is how it refuses to have a “bad side.” The circular design means gorgeous harbor views from every angle, creating that seamless indoor-outdoor connection architects love to talk about. Inside, there’s room for 1,500 workers across flexible office spaces, with law firm Bech-Bruun and energy company Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners already calling it home.
Public Integration and Impact
Here’s where things get interesting – this isn’t some corporate fortress. Half the ground floor stays open to the public, which means anyone can wander in and experience what the architects built. The centerpiece is a lush winter garden that doubles as a public atrium, turning what could have been just another lobby into ga enuine community space.
The location couldn’t be more perfect. Sitting at the tip of Redmolen Harbor, the building anchors the entire Nordhavn district, an area that’s been completely transformed from a gritty industrial port to Copenhagen’s hottest new neighborhood. The project took nearly a decade from that initial competition win in 2015 to opening day, but the wait was worth it. The surrounding public spaces stay active year-round, making this less of a building and more of a destination that happens to have really great office space upstairs.
Looking Forward
The success of Tip of Nordø represents more than just good architecture – it’s a blueprint for how cities can reimagine their waterfronts. By combining private development with public accessibility, the building shows that commercial projects don’t have to wall themselves off from their communities. The architects’ emphasis on “inclusion, transparency, and openness” has created something that brings people together while blending naturally into its context.
As Copenhagen continues to evolve, projects like this prove that thoughtful design can honor the past while building toward a more connected future. The Tip of Nordø isn’t just reshaping Nordhavn’s skyline – it’s setting the standard for what urban development can achieve when architects, developers, and communities work together. With its growing collection of awards and recognition, this modern lighthouse is already guiding the way for Copenhagen’s next chapter.
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