New, modern Harbour House on the way in Copenhagen

In connection with the construction of Copenhagen's new container terminal in Ydre Nordhavn, construction will also begin on a new Harbour House. After an extensive tendering process, By & Havn has chosen Rasmus Friis A/S as the design and build contractor for the project.

By & Havn is the developer of the new container terminal, which will be ready in 2025, while Copenhagen Malmö Port (CMP) is responsible for the equipment and operation of the terminal. By & Havn is also the developer of the Harbour House, which will be established at the new container terminal. In addition to CMP and its employees, the Harbour House will also be a workplace for relevant authorities in connection with the new container terminal, including the police, the veterinary and customs authorities etc.

CEO of By & Havn, Anne Skovbro says:

"It is crucial for the new container terminal that we can also offer a professional environment for the employees and authorities who will operate and supervise the container terminal and the many goods it brings into the city. Together with CMP, we have set high standards for sustainability in the tender, including a minimum requirement that the building is to achieve DGNB* Gold certification. We are fully focused on ensuring that our contractor takes into account a number of ESG requirements throughout the construction process, including recyclable building materials, energy-efficient solutions and a good indoor climate."

The Harbour House is inspired by stacked containers and will fit beautifully into the port's urban landscape in terms of both form and colour. And in this otherwise raw, asphalt-covered and windswept area, the new building will contribute a green oasis of wild vegetation, where nature will be allowed to thrive on its own terms.

Copenhagen Malmö Port is looking forward to taking the new building into use. CEO Barbara Scheel Agernsnap says:

"We want to create a dynamic, modern and attractive Harbour House, which helps to create the framework for the development of CMP and the commercial port in Copenhagen. A Harbour House, which with its structure and facilities will function as a modern workplace and at the same time as a place where CMP can offer partners, customers and relevant players in our industry the opportunity to move in and to hold meetings. In this way, we can strengthen cooperation and community in the port and in the industry and thus be a place that also helps to set the agenda for the development of the maritime industry. That’s something we are looking forward to."

Following a tendering process, the choice as design and build contractor for the Harbour House is Rasmus Friis A/S, which, together with PLH Architects and ABC Consulting Engineers, is looking forward to bringing the construction safely into harbour.

Søren Laubjerg Daugaard, CEO of Rasmus Friis, says:

"We are very proud of having the opportunity to build a new home of the size of the Harbour House for By & Havn. With the Harbour House, we have created a project focusing on well-being, nature and beautiful architecture for the benefit and pleasure of both those around it and the building's users. With its unique location at the furthest end of the port, it will be a property of great exposure and importance for the harbour's visual expression, which is something we have great respect for. We look forward to seeing the buildings shoot up out of the ground."

The new container terminal is expected to open in the summer of 2025 and the Harbour House will be ready the following year, 2026.

*DGNB (Deutche Gesellshaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen) is a DGNB certification for construction. It was originally a German certification, but today it has been adapted to Danish standards, practice and legislation.