Copenhagen x P-Three: Nordic exploration
In the final instalment of our latest trilogy series, we set off together on a trip to embrace the effortless cool of the Danes, understand how they create the latest on-trend location from seemingly nowhere and what mixed-use development must haves we can bring back to the UK shores.
…a curious trio of Tempur, Ba&sh and Borg Sound clearly show that the only plan here is to throw the plan out the window and create an unexpected diversity that works through attracting different people throughout the entire day, allowing each neighbourhood to thrive. Perhaps the tenant mix strategy is dead?
First stop on our journey is the very latest mixed-use development Refshaleøen. This former industrial area and shipyard has been transformed into a happening indie hub of creativity. In time, I’m sure this will be hooved up into the more commercial harbourside developments but now it’s a place which has been curated just enough, with some planned culture (Copenhagen Contemporary), an anchor food market (Reffen), uber culinary restaurants (Alchemist and 56º) and floating cabins, with the rest left to the artists and creatives to mould. It’s the organic, messy form which makes it all feel so special. The food hall is more like a village with 50 harbourside food and drink stands, complete with its own club and beach. A bus, boat or taxi are the only way to get here, which shows how you can create your own footfall with the right collection of uses. Our learnings from here: don’t over curate. Put the building blocks in and let the rest just happen.
Equally cool and part of Copenhagen’s Vesterbro neighbourhood is the Meatpacking District. Like New York this location had historically done exactly what it said on the tin, but now it’s full of some of Copenhagen’s best restaurants and bars such as Paté Paté, Fleisch and Warpigs. This location shows how much heritage buildings can add to the authenticity of an area.
Ingenuity and thoughtfulness was shown in all the developments we looked at with Danes showcasing a propensity for breathing life into places otherwise discarded. A towering car park in Konditaget Lüders provides a home for a rooftop gym, and over in Amager, the now-iconic CopenHill, has been transformed from a waste-to-energy plant into a place for communal gathering, with a ski slope, cocktail bar and climbing wall (part of Copenhagen’s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2025). One of our favourites was the most amazing car park we’ve ever seen at Opera Park. What is seemingly a public park and architecturally stunning café is hiding a 300-space car park beneath. This prioritisation of pedestrians over cars and activation of space at street level creates a place where both can live in harmony.
Perhaps it’s how the Danes embrace all weather conditions which gives more space for design ideas. From the riverside swimming pools complete with floating sauna which are throughout the city, but we saw them in Nordhaven and Refshaleøen, to the many alfresco bars and restaurants (our favourite was Friheden in Nørrebro and the tourist hotspot of Nyhavn) and outdoor spaces like Superkilen Park (which was designed to bring immigrants and locals together in one of Denmark’s most ethnically diverse communities).
A dip in the cold seas swerved, we set off to soak up Copenhagen’s tenant mix. A unique twist unfolds, a nonconformist interpretation of retail, at least for us. Typically, strategic clusters of likeminded retailers, restaurants and leisure operators huddle together. In Copenhagen, an alternate reality emerges, one that sees solitary restaurants sharing spaces with vintage boutiques. Wandering through Carlsberg Byen, a curious trio of Tempur, Ba&sh and Borg Sound clearly show that the only plan here is to throw the plan out the window and create an unexpected diversity that works through attracting different people throughout the entire day, allowing each neighbourhood to thrive. Perhaps the tenant mix strategy is dead?
Our journey around Copenhagen sees us playing Brand Bingo for the latest homegrown occupiers like Coffee Collective, Hart, Carl’s and Gasoline Grill. Perhaps they will be following in the footsteps of other legendry Danish brands like Lego, George Jenson and Ganni (Hannah’s favourite!) looking at international expansion. Whilst throughout individuality reigns, common themes, from sleek design to hygge (which roughly translates to cosiness), prevail. Another theme we spotted were the huge number of boutique high end clothes resellers, think Vestiaire Collective and HURR. A marked difference from our current high streets but something we predict you will see much more of.
As well as their unwavering commitment to hygge, something Danes grasp with gusto is a work/life balance. At 4 pm we were nearly mowed down by the thousands of cyclists heading home to pick their children and prepare dinner. This created thriving neighbourhoods on the edge of the city centre, such as Nørrebro which had outdoor bars bustling with friends catching up, a library full of people which linked to a community centre with children having basketball lessons (Nørrebro library and Nørrebrohallen). This delineation between work and home has created the most enlivened pockets of city life. This combined with a love of hygge shows a need to slow down and soak up life, something we struggle to do.
We left Copenhagen with tired legs, but our minds raced with ideas, filled with inspiration. The city is equal measures of innovation and comfort. An unwavering commitment to urban renewal, creativity and community clears a path for the Danish capital to lead a new vision for retail, restaurants and leisure. And frankly, we can’t wait to come back to and explore.
Article by Michaella Moreton
