Copenhagen, the UNESCO-UIA World Capital of Architecture, is renowned for its citizen-centric urban development, architecture, and interior design. The Danish capital, which has a laser focus on climate, sustainability, and liveability, aims to keep its past alive while integrating it with the present and future.
The lobby at 25hours Hotel Indre By, where a giant sculpture by interior designer Martin Brudnizki has been installed. | Photo Credit: Courtesy: 25hours Hotel Indre By
Across the city, architects and hoteliers are working in tandem to repurpose existing structures for new use, helping preserve an old building’s character and history while reducing the environmental impact of new constructions.
Designed to be in dialogue with old structures’ roots, these design-forward upcycled stays mean you can stay in unusual places: a former department store, a transformer station, a porcelain factory, and even a crane!
So, the next time you’re in Copenhagen, book yourself into one of these hotels that blend old architecture with modern interiors. In a world of cookie-cutter hotels, opt for a stay with soul.
25hours Hotel Indre By (former university building)
In 1775, this building was a Royal Porcelain Factory. | Photo Credit: Courtesy: 25hours Hotel Indre By
Located between the historic Round Tower (Rundetårn) and the popular shopping street Købmagergade is the 25hours Hotel. Housed in a 19th-century building, this structure has played varied roles: in 1775, it was a Royal Porcelain Factory; it was used to make paper during the 1800s; and, quite recently, a part of Copenhagen University.
Image courtesy: 25hours Hotel Indre By
The 243-room hotel is designed around the “coming of age” concept, which ties in with the building’s former “use as part of a university”, according to Copenhagen Project Director Henning Weiß. “Passion and knowledge, art and science find a new home in the hotel in an exciting combination.”
Image courtesy: 25hours Hotel Indre By
Interior designer Martin Brudnizki has created an explosion of colour, artwork, and expression, be it in the Assembly Lobby, the reception area (with a giant sculpture of books), Vinyl Room, Love Library, meeting rooms, NENI restaurant, Cafe Duse, or Boilerman Bar. Vibrant and saturated hues of aubergine, mustard, green, and blue dominate, creating a bright yet restful setting.
Hotel Skt Petri (former department store)
The original red-brown façade was revived. | Photo Credit: Courtesy: Hotel Skt Petri
Functionalist architect Vilhelm Lauritzen’s Modernist-style structure was built to house Dælls Varehus, a department store, in 1928. After the store closed its doors in 1999, extensive rebuilding work was carried out by Erik Møller Architects. Many features were retained, with the original red-brown façade being revived. A new lobby and staircases up to the reception on the first floor along with a large dining room were added to create drama.
A new lobby and staircases were added to create drama. | Photo Credit: Courtesy: Hotel Skt Petri
The interiors of the 288-room hotel in the Latin Quarter were overhauled by Norwegian studio Anemone Wille Våge, and showcase a jewel-toned palette of gold, deep blue, and emerald. The interior design takes its clear point of departure from the “clean-lined architecture and its many beautiful details”, drawing inspiration from Vilhelm Lauritzen “”when it comes to our choice of colours and materials”, said designer Hilde Aasbø.
Nobis Hotel (former conservatory of music)
The historic 5,400-square-metre building was adapted for use as a hotel by Swedish architect Gert Wingårdh. | Photo Credit: Courtesy: Nobis Hotel
The magnificent hotel boasts a prime location, rubbing shoulders with Tivoli Gardens, City Hall Square, Copenhagen Central Station, and Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek Museum. Designed in 1903 for an insurance company and later home to the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music, the interior of the historic 5,400-square metre building was adapted for use as a hotel by Swedish architect Gert Wingårdh.
Natural materials such as wood, leather, marble, and wool enhance the spaciousness. | Photo Credit: Courtesy: Nobis Hotel
The neoclassic interiors have been updated by new furniture, intense blue-green hues, and clean design. Natural materials such as wood, leather, marble, and wool enhance the spaciousness and beautiful details in the 77 rooms. Wingårdh said the redesign was “delicate and respectful, emphasising every detail of the original architecture and decor, adding superior quality natural materials with a subtle colour scale, accentuated with beautiful greens”.
Villa Copenhagen (former post-office)
The façade with sandstone reliefs has been retained. | Photo Credit: Courtesy: Villa Copenhagen
Heinrich Wenck designed the Copenhagen Central Post Building, the headquarters of the Danish Post and Telegraph Company. Nicknamed ‘Toilet Castle’ by the public back then due to the large number of toilets it housed, the grand red-brick building was finished in 1912. The structure, which served as the headquarters of the Danish postal service for more than 100 years, was in in 2020 opened as a 390-room luxury hotel — one that paid homage to its past.
Image courtesy: Villa Copenhagen
Architects Krook & Tjader’s brief was clear: change as little as possible of the building’s exterior. CEO Johan von Wachenfeldt said the firm worked with the existing structure to “design new environments and structures, but also focus on developing what already exists”. The façade with sandstone reliefs has been retained, and showcases the original French-inspired neo-baroque architectural style.
Hotel Ottilia (former brewery)
The building was named after brewer Carl Jacobsen’s wife, Ottilia. | Photo Credit: Courtesy: Hotel Ottilia
Named after brewer Carl Jacobsen’s wife, Ottilia, the first hotel in Carlsberg City District is located in two protected buildings, Maltmagasinet and Lagerkælder 3. Maltmagasinet, with its weathered copper tower, dates back to 1881 and was designed by architect Vilhelm Dahlerup. It now houses the hotel’s lobby, bar, and conference rooms.
Image courtesy: Hotel Ottilia
Dahlerup also designed the Dipylon Gate, a double-curved brick portal built in 1892 and used for storing malt; it is now a lounge. Lagerkælder 3, designed by Svenn Eske Kristensen and built in 1969, was used to store beer. Today, it showcases the hotel’s signature façade with the iconic leaf-gold discs and houses most of the hotel rooms. Arkitema Architects retained the 60 circular discs decorated with gold foil, which “attest to a brewery characterised by wealth and aesthetic strength”, and “established vertical sections which — like elegant zippers — let in daylight”.
Herman K (former transformer station)
The converted station pays homage to its industrial roots. | Photo Credit: Courtesy: Herman K
The 31-room Herman K hotel is set in a building that was clearly utilitarian — a substation designed by Hans Hansen and built in 1963. The converted station – redesigned by Dansk Ejendoms Management (DEJM) — pays homage to its industrial roots, retaining original concrete structures, iron gates and railings, and old stairs and walkways. The raw façade, comprising dark bronze slats, is offset by a soft interior featuring a cool neutral palette, white marble and plush carpets.
Image courtesy: Herman K
The 12-metre-high lobby, once the site of transformers, now houses the restaurant and lounge. This project received the Renover Award in 2019 for thoughtful renovation.
The Krane (former coal crane)
The structure’s industrial history is reflected in the stark décor. | Photo Credit: Courtesy: The Krane
Built in 1944 and located on the quayside of a dockland peninsula, the Krane is a micro-hotel that has been revived by owner Klaus Kastbjerg and architect Mads Møller from Arcgency. Balanced 15m above ground, the decommissioned coal crane in Nordhavn has found new purpose as an intimate boutique getaway. Kastbjerg said the history and incredible views of the water led him to reincarnate the structure into “something contemporary but with soul”. The industrial history is reflected in the stark décor, in “hundreds of different shades of black” and is the epitome of minimalist Scandinavian design. The location makes it a retreat from the rest of the world, with the spa and sauna offering stunning views and an escape from reality.
Audo House (former merchant house)
The facade showcases a bell-shaped architectural feature. | Photo Credit: Courtesy: Audo House
The corner building in Nordhavn was constructed in 1918 as an old merchant house. Nordhavn was then free port where ships could import goods like tea, coffee, cocoa, and spices, and small shop owners could buy and resell them. Audo House has now been converted into a multifunctional space that combines a boutique hotel, café, shop, meeting rooms, courtyard, and a wooden deck.
Image courtesy: Audo House
The facade showcases elegant details, including a protruding, bell-shaped architectural feature above the main entrance and a small oval window in the centre. Peter Eland, Partner at Norm Architects, which led the revival, believes the building stands as “a holistic house where the visitor will find that all functions are connected throughout the spaces and material palettes”.
NH Collection (former shipyard headquarters)
Seawater is used to cool the building. | Photo Credit: Courtesy: NH Collection
For many years, Ørkenfortet, which translates into ‘Desert Fortress’, functioned as the central office for the shipyard Burmeister & Wain (B&W). Palle Suenson’s closed concrete construction from 1962 was transformed in 2021. Arkitema Architects and Henning Larsen Architects drew up extensive renovation plans to convert the building’s roughly 33,000 square metres of office space into a 394-room five-star hotel. The building — once massive and imposing — has now taken on a warmer, welcoming character.
Image courtesy: NH Collection
Sustainability has been integrated into the redeveloped construction: facade stones have been cast from materials generated by the interior demolition, a green sedum roof is laid on the rooftop, and seawater is used to cool the building. Anna Bak, commissioned to do the artwork, studied the construction and aesthetic expression of the former shipyard’s design elements to “develop sculptural abstractions that relate to the building’s architecture”.
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Published - February 07, 2025 05:16 pm IST
