The Red City in Nordhavn

The Red City is a redevelopment project in which six buildings are being transformed into restaurants, workshops and offices. It involves some of Nordhavn’s oldest industrial sites, recognized for their cultural, historical and heritage value.

WSP has been providing multidisciplinary consulting and design services on this ongoing project. The scope of work includes the transformation and renovation of the existing buildings, as well as the integration of new structures, with emphasis being placed on preserving cultural heritage and upgrading the buildings to contemporary standards.

Focused transformation

The Red City comprises some of Nordhavn’s oldest industrial buildings, originally used by manufacturers and artisans. Today, the new district has been reimagined as an active and open urban space, where history is preserved and reinterpreted in keeping with contemporary design.

The transformation has focused on preserving the district's cultural heritage and industrial character while modernizing and adapting the buildings for new uses.

Location

Nordhavn, Denmark

Client

NREP / PFA NORDHAVN I P/S

Architect

BRIQ

Contemporary cultural interpretation

Three existing structures: Værkstedslageret and Skydebanen II, in addition to Vendsysselbygningen, the oldest building in Nordhavn (dating back to 1895). All three have been renovated and transformed.
The existing Nye Marketenderi building was fitted with a thin sheet metal façade inspired by the area’s industrial material heritage. The façade received the 2025 Danish Thin Sheet Metal Award in the Commercial category.
In addition, two new adjacent buildings were designed to complete and frame the urban setting. In one case, bricks from a former on-site shooting range were reused.

Image: BRIQ

Connecting the interior and exterior environments

In their contemporary interpretation and with their original qualities preserved, the buildings pay tribute to the district's historical and cultural role. The decision was made to work with the buildings' existing features and materials. Components were typically removed to reveal the original structures' historical characteristics.

Efforts were made to open up the project horizontally to create clearer connections between the interior and exterior environments. Shared detailing and solutions tie the various buildings together into a cohesive whole.

DGNB Gold certification

All six buildings are certified DGNB Gold. Sustainability is integrated through the use and recycling of materials such as cross-laminated timber, clay plaster and hemp blocks. In addition, bricks from existing local buildings were reused.

Image: BRIQ

Contemporary standards

WSP has provided consulting and design services throughout this project. The renovation process is highly complex as the original structures have been thoroughly modernized and upgraded to contemporary standards governing fire safety, indoor climate, energy, structural engineering, utility routing, accessibility and functionality.

Balancing cultural heritage, usability and sustainability is a recurring theme in The Red City. A prime example is the Værkstedslageret building (originally used for workshop storage), where the roof was raised to create usable floor space with room for additional insulation. The original rafters were preserved and exposed, with visible numbers and traditional joining methods attesting to 19th-century craftsmanship. In contrast, new glulam rafters were used in the adjacent extension, and the raised brick façade was constructed using reclaimed bricks.