Church in Sydhavnen, Copenhagen

Scandinavian spiritual life in the Danish capital

“The aim of this architectural competition was to create a modern church that would bring the community together and whose design would be both inviting and well-matched to its environment. The building that was devised, with its unusual shape, has become something of a landmark in the Sydhavnen area of Copenhagen. Its towering steeple can be seen from all directions.

The keywords of the winning design were ‘interconnectedness’, ‘openness’ and ‘transparency’. The building is open and capable of bringing people and activities together. We strove to achieve a logistically interwoven spatial programme which would bring the community together both functionally and symbolically (‘interconnectedness’). The design opens the culture halls up to the promenades, which it links to the church square (‘openness’). The discreet opening up of the church hall to closer and more distant views of urban space and the use of printed glass as a material expresses ‘transparency’.”

Lauri E., architect