Orientkaj and Nordhavn Metro StationsRealized

Year: First prize in competition 2013, completed 2020
Client: Metroselskabet
Program: Two metro stations, one above-ground and one underground, and tunnel
Size: Nordhavn station platform: 44 × 7 meters, Orientkaj station Platform: 44 × 9 meters

The Nordhavn metro line extension unlocks the potential for the redevelopment of Copenhagen’s northern docklands, one of the largest urban regeneration projects in northern Europe.

The two stations possess distinct visual characteristics that reflect the local communities they serve. Tracing the outline of a shipping container, the overground Orientkaj Station celebrates the large scale volumes and brutalist features of the dockland’s industrial past, but opens up to reveal a more gentle, human focused detailing on the inside. The underground Nordhavn Station borrows from the Cityringen tradition, with the distinctive red cladding of transfer stations.

"Nordhavn is a city of sustainable mobility, where it is easier to walk, bike or use public transport, than it is to drive your own car. The two metro stations unlock the potential of this new Copenhagen city district enabling more efficient and sustainable transport between the individual neighbourhoods, and to the rest of Copenhagen, while adding a new chapter to the story of the Copenhagen harbour front"
-Dan Stubbergaard, architect and founder, Cobe

The new metro line is a part of the green loop through Nordhavn connecting the various neighborhoods with public transportation, bike lanes and green urban spaces.

The complete Nordhavn masterplan was designed by Cobe and implementation is still ongoing.

The first two stations on the branch out to Nordhavn is an underground station at Inner Nordhavn, the red neighborhood, and an above-ground station at Orientkaj dock, the white neighborhood.

The above ground station, Orientkaj, is prepared to continue with more stations in the future development of Copenhagen’s Nordhavn. As a prototype, the station is designed to make a statement, offering a model for any future overground stations along the Nordhavn metro extension.

Inspired by the existing industrial structures in Nordhavn, the station’s design derives from the massive crains lifting the containers from the ground. Designed as a glass, concrete and aluminium box, the station commandeers panoramic views over Orientkaj dock.

Two rotated, concrete staircases connect the station to the ground level. Under the station, the 33-metre long concrete spans and V-shaped piers minimise the station’s footprint while maximising the open, flexible urban space to accommodate a range of future uses, including bike lanes and a public urban space along the waterfront.

Serving a mixed use urban area with offices, transformed warehouses and new housing developments, Orientkaj station needed to be distinctive enough to become a local landmark, while blending in with the white surrounding buildings.

Nordhavn station is a major connection and exchange point between the the S-train, the red neighbourhood in Inner Nordhavn as well as providing design continuity with the Cityringen metro to create a seamless travel experience for passengers travelling between the two lines.

At Nordhavn station the interior façades are clad in the red tiles characteristic of Cityringen’s interchange stations. Folded ceramic panels also provide a sense of movement, building to a great reveal in the transfer tunnel: the angled wall claddings reveal a different hue changing from white to red as passengers move through.

Intuitive wayfinding was a key design consideration for this underground station with clear lines of sight between the underground station and the transfer tunnels, allowing users to see all the way through to the other side, enhancing the feeling of comfort and safety.

Collaborators: Arup, RambøllArup JV, CAS JV, Metnord, Sleth, Polyform

Awards: EU Mies van der Rohe Award 2022 Nominee, Sustainable Concrete Award 2021 Finalist

Team: Caroline Nagel, Clement Bue Maali, Dan Stubbergaard, Jonas Hviid Mønster, Rasmus Bernard Nielsen, Søren Jeppe Sørensen

Photographer: Rasmus Hjortshøj – COAST

Additional photos: Seier+seier