Upcycling is the new black – and these years a bouquet of Copenhagen’s first industrial sites are being redeveloped into contemporary residential districts in Copenhagen. Former factories are now housing creative startups and loft apartments as well as hip bakeries moved into old barns. On this tour we will show you two of these transissions, the former brewery area of Carlsberg, now nearly finalized – as well as the old railway district nextdoor, which is still in the making.
We start the guided bike or walking tour in Carlsberg City – the old brewery area, which dates back to 1847. Carlsberg moved their production from this historic site in Copenhagen to Jutland in 2008: This posed the question: what should be done with the valuable district just 2 K from downtown Copenhagen?
A Masterclass future plan was launched by Entasis Architects and most of the old, richly adorned factory buildings have successfully been kept and repurposed into a hotel and housing projects amongst others. Some have been demolished and contemporary architecture designed by state of the art Danish architecture companies has occurred next to a handful of new plazas, climate adaptation sites and much more.
On our way through the historic site we will not forget to show you the iconic Elephant Tower, an old entry gate held aloft by four life size elephants sculpted out of granite – and tell you the story behind it.
From Carlsberg City we move on to The Railway District, which former function was an industrial production facility for the Danish national rail company DSB. These years the old district is turned into a contemporary urban neighborhood. Filled with contrasts and creativity such as an innovative insect farm and wooden dorms for students – side by side with historical industrial buildings and train tracks.
The future plan is to mix green urban spaces, housing units, institutions, shops, eateries, communal facilities and cultural activities – and we recommend you to stay here for a while and take your time for some tasty and mouthwatering samples served at one of Copenhagen’s best bakeries, which already opened in this up and coming area…
