Tip of Nordø office is a "modern lighthouse" on Copenhagen's coast
A public winter garden sits at the heart of this cylindrical office in Copenhagen, designed by Danish studios Cobe, Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects and Third Nature to evoke the city's historic silos.
Named Tip of Nordø, the building is intended as an "anchor point" for Nordhavn, a former industrial port on the coast of the Øresund Strait, transformed into a contemporary neighbourhood with a masterplan by Cobe.
Tip of Nordø is shortlisted in the large workplace category of the Dezeen Awards 2025.
The 60-metre-tall building was designed by Cobe, Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects and Third Nature as a reference to historic silos along Copenhagen's waterfront – one of which Cobe transformed into an apartment block as part of the Nordhavn masterplan.
"In the [Nordhavn] plan, buildings taller than seven floors are either an existing, repurposed building or a new one strategically placed as an anchor point within the district," said Cobe founder Dan Stubbergaard.
"Our site called for something special, a building that would stand out while still fitting naturally into the harbour. The Tip of Nordø does just that," Stubbergaard told Dezeen.
"It extends the harbour's grand, industrial scale into the more compact, mixed-use city fabric. It is both a landmark and a contemporary nod to the historic silos that once shaped the industrial harbour and Copenhagen's waterfront."
Unlike unfenestrated forms of silos, windows envelop the exterior of Tip of Nordø, drawing light deep into the plan of the building. A combination of six uniquely angled facade elements makes up the exterior.
Combined with the cylindrical form of the building, these windows also provide occupants with "a full 360-degree view" of the city and the water.
"We saw The Tip of Nordø as a kind of modern lighthouse – an open, welcoming place for the local community that also connects with the wider city," said Stubbergaard.
"The round shape also supports the idea of a democratic workspace.Traditionally, corner offices are seen as the best spots, but in a circular building, everyone gets equal access to light, views, and the horizon," he continued.
"It's about inclusion, transparency, and openness – architecture that brings people together while blending naturally into its context."
Inside, Tip of Nordø was designed to function as a multi-tenant office with 1,500 adaptable workspaces.
It is currently home to law firm Bech-Bruun and the energy investment company Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), with each occupying its own dedicated areas.
The heart of the building is a central atrium, containing a ground-floor winter garden and cafe, which opens onto an outdoor terrace – all of which is accessible to the public all year round.
"Occupying such a prominent position in Nordhavn, the building carries a responsibility to contribute to its surroundings," said Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects partner Malte Rosenquist.
"From the outset, the ambition was for the building to feel transparent, friendly, and approachable," he continued. "The best way to achieve that was not just visually but by literally inviting the public inside."
The terrace outside, which incorporates amphitheatre-like seating, forms part of a wider landscape design overseen by Third Nature, designed to visually soften the industrial look of the office.
"The landscape design creates a terraced public space where soft level changes, broad steps, and green pockets form a welcoming transition between city and harbour," said Third Nature co-founder Ole Schrøder.
"The raw industrial character is softened with coastal planting and intimate seating zones, supporting activity throughout the year."
Other projects vying to win large workplace of the year in the Dezeen Awards 2025 are an artisanal mezcal production facility in Mexico, office buildings connected by a glass bridge in the US and Finland's largest mass-timber building.
The photography is by Cobe unless stated otherwise.
Project credits:
Architects: Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects and Cobe
Landscape architect: Third Nature
Client: PFA Ejendomme
Engineer: Rambøll
Contractors: Pihl, LM Byg and M J Eriksson
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