An unusual building in Copenhagen Science City is now undergoing radical renovation. From home appliance factory to 189 one- and two room apartments for students and the young. The developers are adding two levels to the original two-storey building to a total 5,800 square metres.

Comfortable stroll to class

The new student accommodations are rising in Hermodsgade 26-28 just 250 metres from the station Skjolds Plads on the new Circle Line Metro. For students at University College Copenhagen the 198-metre walk will allow them to attend classes in slippers and robe, while students at University of Copenhagen faculties of SCIENCE and Health and Medical Sciences will need to cycle 445 metres and one and a half kilometres respectively.

The innovation District Copenhagen Science City welcomes this project. Attractive and modern accommodations for student are, of course, important for the students themselves. They also add to the liveability that is already a central selling point for Copenhagen and liveability is a crucial element for many of the international investors and entrepreneurs looking to start innovation intensive businesses in the Danish capital”, Kristoffer Klebak, Head of Secreatariat, Copenhagen Science City.

Worthy of preservation

Tearing the old factory down would probably have been easier than this project, but that was not an option. Built in 1936 for Swedish home appliance manufacturers Electrolux, the building is a sweeping crescent following the shape of Hermodsgade. The unusual shape made the funkis, or Scandinavian functionalist, building of special architectural interest and worthy of preservation.

Extension mimics unusual shape

Because the building had also kept significant aspects of its original appearance, it was deemed a seven on the nine-step Danish building preservation scale. To preserve the expression of the building the two new storeys will mimic the curving shape of the original building towards the street. Where the original building is yellow brick, the additions will have aluminium or wood slats on the façade.

On the market in late 2021

Copenhagen based property developers CPHinvest lead the project, which they say will also include a parking basement, communal washing facilities and outdoor areas. They expect to start renting the apartments out from the autumn of 2021.