arup and COBE connect copenhagen's city center and docklands with two metro stations

arup and COBE have completed two new metro stations in copenhagen, which connect the city center with the docklands to the north. forming part of the nordhavn metro line extension, the two stations — one above, and one below ground — possess distinct visual characteristics that reflect the character of the urban areas they serve. ‘the two metro stations unlock the potential of this new copenhagen city district enabling more efficient and sustainable transport between the individual neighborhoods, and to the rest of copenhagen, while adding a new chapter to the story of the copenhagen harbor front,’ explains dan stubbergaard, architect and founder of COBE.

all images © rasmus hjortshøj – COAST

‘orientkaj’, the above ground station, celebrates the brutalist features of the area’s industrial past, while offering a human-scaled interior. designed by arup and COBE as a prototype for future stations in the area, the building is a glass, concrete, and aluminum box that is anchored by bold concrete ‘claws’. despite the scheme’s scale and sharp outline, a passenger-focused approach is highlighted by the detailing inside — from the lighting to the material palette. ‘the design of orientkaj station celebrates the character and industrial past of the docklands, but most importantly, it provides a great passenger experience for visitors to this growing area of copenhagen,’ says arup’s lead architect, kristian winther.

serving a mixed-use urban area with offices, transformed warehouses, and new housing developments, the station needed to be distinctive enough to become a local landmark, while blending in with the surrounding buildings. anticipating a possible future high-rise development next to the station, the architects used anodized aluminum panels on all façades. meanwhile, large, glass platform screen doors ensure sweeping views, while two rotated concrete staircases connect the station to the ground level. under the station, long concrete spans and V-shaped piers minimize the station’s footprint — allowing for potential bike lanes and a public space along the waterfront in future.

inside the station, a column-free rectangular hall is supported by external concrete frames. skylights mimicking the shed roofs found in the area’s former industrial buildings bring in natural light. the scale of the brutalist concrete exterior is juxtaposed with polished detailing inside, where a white hexagonal mosaic covers the stairs and elevator towers.

shown in the gallery at the bottom of this page, the second station, ‘nordhavn’, provides design continuity with the cityringen M3 metro line, which opened in 2019. to create a seamless travel experience for passengers traveling between the two lines: platform length, information systems and wayfinding are the same, while the interior façades are clad in characteristic red tiles. continuing another design theme from cityringen, the new metro station’s origami ceiling has been designed to reflect light throughout. the two metro stations opened on march 28, 2020, with trains running from copenhagen central station to nordhavn in just four minutes.

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project info:

nordhavn station —
client: metroselskabet
year: 2013-2020
size: platform 44 x 7 meter / 144 x 23 feet
architects: arup and COBE
architectural finishes: CAS JV
engineers: RambøllArup JV
contractor: metnord
lighting design: arup
landscape architects: COBE, sleth and polyform

orientkaj station —
client: metroselskabet
year: 2013-2020
size: platform 44 x 9 meter / 144 x 30 feet
architects: arup and COBE
engineers: RambøllArup JV
contractor: metnord
lighting design: arup
landscape architects: COBE, sleth and polyform

elevated railway —
client: metroselskabet
year: 2013-2020
architects: arup and COBE
engineers: RambøllArup JV