why is the tallest skyscraper in western europe being built in rural denmark?

currently, the tallest building in western europe is the shard — a renzo piano-designed skyscraper that stands at the heart of london. climbing to a total height of 309.7 meters (1,017 feet), the supertall structure is joined in the british capital by a host of other well-known high-rises, including ‘one canada square’ and the ‘leadenhall building,’ designed by rogers stirk harbour + partners. however, a project of a similar scale — conceived by dorte mandrup — has recently been approved for a plot of land outside a small town in rural denmark.

all courtesy of bloomimages and dorte mandrup

soaring to a total height of 320 meters (1,050 feet), the proposed tower would house the head offices of BESTSELLER, a fashion company that has called the town of brande home for more than 30 years. BESTSELLER says that it intends to give something back to the local community by welcoming them to use the site. this public aspect comes in the form of a series of new buildings at the base of the tower, which will create a new town with planted rooftops.

a series of buildings will be positioned at the base of the tower

‘we would like to open our doors by rethinking the way our company interacts with the local community, and we hope to be able to create value for both our colleagues and the people in brande,’ says anders krogh vogdrups, project manager of BESTSELLER. ‘the plan is born out of the passion and interest for architecture and a vision of creating a unique building that matches the unique setup of a rethought headquarter.’

the development could complete as soon as 2023

also designed by dorte mandrup, the new town will include a range of retail outlets, a hotel, educational institutions, nature walks, and other public facilities. through realizing the development, the danish company hopes to not only draw attention to its own brand, but also towards the town where the new buildings will dominate the local landscape. the project is set to break ground in 2019, with a slated completion date scheduled for 2023.

project info:

name: BESTSELLER tower
client: BESTSELLER
architect: dorte mandrup
landscape architect: arkitekt kristine jensens tegnestue
engineer: rambøll
renderings: bloomimages, dorte mandrup