flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

‘Floating’ triangular glass building from Foster + Partners breaks ground in Copenhagen

Office Buildings

‘Floating’ triangular glass building from Foster + Partners breaks ground in Copenhagen

The glass building provides the illusion of floating above a stone plinth.


By David Malone, Associate Editor | September 22, 2016

Rendering courtesy of Foster + Partners

Ferring Pharmaceuticals’ new headquarters building is being constructed on the urban fringe of Copenhagen in Kastrup. Designed by Foster + Partners, the 39,000 sm glass building consists of six stacked floors and sits above a stone plinth, giving the building the appearance of floating. The plinth also acts as the first line of defense against flooding due to the structures waterside location, according to Foster + Partners.

The firm said they wanted to create a strong base that not only connects the building to its waterside location, but also lifts it above water level to provide the best views possible from the ground floor up to the top level.

From a top down perspective, the building takes the shape of an equilateral triangle with its glass atrium roof on full display right in the center. The atrium includes the entrance lobby, a café, breakout space, catered conference facilities, and space for social events.

Foster + Partners conducted targeted interviews and in-depth studies to best understand how the employees at Ferring worked in order to design a space specifically tailored to their needs. The offices and laboratories, for quiet, individual work, are located on the perimeter of the building in order to take advantage of surrounding views and natural light. All of the more collaborative meeting spaces are located closer to the center of the building and overlook the naturally lit atrium.

The roof canopy and all six floors cantilever out over the stone plinth to enhance surrounding views while also providing the more practical effect of creating self-shaded spaces on each floor. In order to blend in with the surrounding low-rise urban area, the façade of the headquarters building has a horizontal emphasis.

The scheduled completion date for the new Ferring Pharmaceuticals headquarters building is 2019.

 

Rendering courtesy of Foster + Partners

 

Rendering courtesy of Foster + Partners

Related Stories

| Jun 16, 2014

6 U.S. cities at the forefront of innovation districts

A new Brookings Institution study records the emergence of “competitive places that are also cool spaces.”

| Jun 12, 2014

Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects' design selected for new UCSC facility

The planned site is a natural landscape among redwood trees with views over Monterey Bay, a site that the architects have called “one of the most beautiful they have ever worked on.”

| Jun 12, 2014

Austrian university develops 'inflatable' concrete dome method

Constructing a concrete dome is a costly process, but this may change soon. A team from the Vienna University of Technology has developed a method that allows concrete domes to form with the use of air and steel cables instead of expensive, timber supporting structures.

| Jun 11, 2014

Bill signing signals approval to revitalize New Orleans’ convention center corridor

A plan to revitalize New Orleans' Convention Center moves forward after Louisiana governor signs bill.

| Jun 11, 2014

5 ways Herman Miller's new office concept rethinks the traditional workplace

Today's technologies allow us to work anywhere. So why come to an office at all? Herman Miller has an answer.

| Jun 10, 2014

Built-in balcony: New skylight windows can fold out to create a patio

Roof window manufacturer Fakro offers a skylight window system that quickly converts into an open-air balcony.

| Jun 9, 2014

Green Building Initiative launches Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors program

The new program focuses exclusively on the sustainable design and construction of interior spaces in nonresidential buildings and can be pursued by both building owners and individual lessees of commercial spaces.

Smart Buildings | Jun 8, 2014

Big Data: How one city took control of its facility assets with data

Over the past few years, Buffalo has developed a cutting-edge facility management program to ensure it's utilizing its facilities and operations as efficiently, effectively, and sustainably as possible. 

| Jun 6, 2014

KPF, Kevin Roche unveil design for 51-story Hudson Yards tower in NYC [slideshow]

Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group are teaming to develop Fifty Five Hudson Yards, the latest addition to the commercial office tower collection in the 28-acre Hudson Yards development—the largest private real estate development in the history of the U.S.

| Jun 3, 2014

Libeskind's latest skyscraper breaks ground in the Philippines

The Century Spire, Daniel Libeskind's latest project, has just broken ground in Century City, southwest of Manila. It is meant to accommodate apartments and offices.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category



Sustainable Design and Construction

Northglenn, a Denver suburb, opens a net zero, all-electric city hall with a mass timber structure

Northglenn, Colo., a Denver suburb, has opened the new Northglenn City Hall—a net zero, fully electric building with a mass timber structure. The 32,600-sf, $33.7 million building houses 60 city staffers. Designed by Anderson Mason Dale Architects, Northglenn City Hall is set to become the first municipal building in Colorado, and one of the first in the country, to achieve the Core certification: a green building rating system overseen by the International Living Future Institute.


MFPRO+ News

San Francisco unveils guidelines to streamline office-to-residential conversions

The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection announced a series of new building code guidelines clarifying adaptive reuse code provisions and exceptions for converting office-to-residential buildings. Developed in response to the Commercial to Residential Adaptive Reuse program established in July 2023, the guidelines aim to increase the viability of converting underutilized office buildings into housing by reducing regulatory barriers in specific zoning districts downtown. 

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021