Two towers by Steven Holl will rise near the port of Copenhagen

Studio Steven Holl Architects won the international invited architectural competition "The LM Project", organized in Copenhagen, Denmark, by CPH City & Port Development and ATP Ejendomme. Steven Holl designed a landmark in the form of two office towers connected by a pedestrian bridge, which is located 65 meters above the harbor.

The winning design will create a new gateway to the Copenhagen harbor. The design is inspired by the history of the competition site. The tower standing over the Langenlinie site, where ocean-going ships have docked for several centuries, has a floor plan shape derived from the shape of the land. It features a public deck that resembles the bow of a ship, oriented towards the open sea. It is accessible by a wide staircase and several escalators. A number of cafes and galleries are located nearby, along with the entrance to the elevators, which transport visitors to the level of the pedestrian bridge. The second tower, Marmormolen, connects to the city with a terrace located above the public auditorium.
On both towers, bridges (orange and yellow) are suspended opposite each other, meeting above the harbor and evoking outstretched hands.
The project is based on principles of sustainable design, which are highly emphasized in Denmark. The glass facades of both towers are to be shaded by photovoltaic panels, the buildings will feature cooled ceilings, and there is a focus on natural air circulation. Energy generated from wind turbines will be used to illuminate all public spaces.

Besides Steven Holl Architects, the competition featured the offices of heneghan.peng.architects, C.F. Møller A/S, 3XN A/S, Arkitema Architects, and BRT Architekten Bothe Richter Teherani. All competition designs can be viewed in this presentation (.pdf, 8.9 MB), or in the detailed Jury's Report.

The "The LM Project" competition was one of a number of activities through which CPH City & Port Development (in which the city and state have a stake) is transforming the face of the Copenhagen harbor and the Ørestad area. Other activities include the recently completed international architectural competition The Sustainable City of the Future. On the company's website, it is clearly visible that there are alternative approaches to developing significant parts of the city instead of instantly absolving political responsibility by selecting a single developer for the entire area. If only this could inspire the city halls of Prague, Brno, or Ostrava (not to mention other cities)...