Kengo Kuma's new work is nearing completion! A "pyramid" cultural center emerges

From WeChat Official Account: Youth Architecture (ID: youtharchitects)

 

The Copenhagen Waterfront Culture Center, designed by Kengo Kuma and Associates, is rapidly progressing in the city's waterfront transformation area, Papirøen (Paper Island). Recently, architectural photographer Francisco Tirado captured the latest progress, showcasing how this unique cultural complex transforms from concept drawings to physical construction.

 

 

The project consists of several conical volumes, presenting an overall form resembling a "pyramid" archipelago. The buildings' heights vary, creating a staggered distribution that integrates seamlessly into Copenhagen's skyline. Each volume uses locally sourced Danish bricks, their simple, warm texture reflecting the Nordic building tradition.

 

 

Openings are created in the brick facades according to different functions, allowing light to penetrate the building's skin and creating a gentle reflective effect at night, making the whole structure resemble a luminous body at the edge of the harbor.

 

 

The project's functions are diverse, including indoor cultural facilities such as hot springs, swimming pools, performance spaces, and exhibition areas, as well as a series of outdoor public platforms and waterfront spaces.

 

 

The "valley" spaces between the building volumes are cleverly used as open-air swimming pools, seating stands, and waterfront squares. The building tops feature skylights and conical sky windows, guiding natural light into the underground spaces, creating an interactive visual experience of indoor and outdoor light and shadow.

 

 

The building layout closely interacts with the terrain. The project gently descends from the city interface to the waterfront platform, naturally connecting with the horizon of the Copenhagen harbor. Unlike traditional facades and main entrances, this group of buildings can be accessed from multiple directions—city, square, and harbor—creating a multi-directional open spatial network.

 

 

The project does not place the building above the urban fabric but, through materials, scale, and light, sinks the building into the site, establishing a gentle dialogue with the surrounding environment.

 

 

This design continues Kengo Kuma's consistent design philosophy—using "natural materials" to shape contemporary expression and "group construction" to respond to human scale. In the context of Copenhagen, bricks, as an important component of Nordic architectural language, are reactivated, presented through modular masonry and contemporary construction techniques, showcasing a fusion of modernity and regional characteristics.

 

 

The project is scheduled for completion in 2026, with a total construction area of approximately 5,700 square meters. It is one of the most representative public cultural facilities in the Paper Island transformation project.

 

As Kengo Kuma emphasizes: "Architecture should not be an isolated sculpture, but a container where nature, light, and people breathe together."