The LM Project, Denmark

Published: 08-Jun-2009

With a program that connects office towers and civic spaces with a public walkway 65 meters above the harbor, Steven Holl’s new design is intended to form an iconic landmark for Copenhagen’s waterfront.

Key facts

PROJECT: LM project, Copenhagen, Denmark
DESIGNER: Steven Holl Architects
CLIENT: ATP Ejendomme / CPH City and Port Development
COST:
COMPLETION TIME:

Project description

The LM project is a new harbor entrance project on the waterfront in Copenhagen, Denmark. Steven Holl’s winning-design features an office tower on either side of the harbor, linked by a 65 meter high public walkway. The walkway consists of two bridges meeting at an angle, “joining like a handshake over the harbor”.
Steven Holl Architects won the international design competition ‘The LM Project’ organized by the CPH City and Port Development and ATP Ejendomme.

The iconic design for Copenhagen’s waterfront is based on a concept of two towers carrying two bridges at two orientations, all connecting back to the unique aspects of the site’s history. The geometry of 27-storey Langenlinie tower is taken from the Langenlinie site’s shape. A prow-like public deck, thrusting out to the sea horizon, is the level of public entry to the bridge elevators and has public amenities such as cafes and galleries.
The other tower, 24-storey Marmormolen tower connects back to the City with a main terrace that projects out towards the city horizon supported by a public auditorium below. It can also be reached by escalators and is beside the public bridge elevator lobby.

The combined floor area of buildings is 624,500 square feet. Each tower carries its own cable-stay bridge that is a public passageway between the two piers. The soffits below the bridges and under the cantilevers pick up the bright colors of the harbor; orange on the undersides of the Langenlinie and bright yellow on the undersides of the Marmormolen. At night the uplights washing the colored aluminum, reflect like paintings in the water.

Besides the design aspects, the project uses various sustainable solutions to set a benchmark for alternative energy buildings of the future. Both towers have high performance glass curtainwalls with a veil of photovoltaic solar screen that collects the solar energy while shading. The curtainwalls are connected to a seawater heating/cooling system with radiant heating in the floor slabs and radiant cooling in the ceiling.

Every floor has windows at the floor level and ceiling level for maximum natural air ventilation. The reflective light radiating from the screens provides optimum natural light to all the offices. Wind turbines lined at the top of the pedestrian bridge roof provide electricity for the public spaces.

Project Suppliers

HNTB Corporation - www.hntb.com
Ted Zoli -
Niras - www.niras.com
Transsolar - www.transsolar.com