BeCopenhagen - Urbanism + Architecture Bike Tours

19/03/2025

Brutalism!

Loved by architects, disliked by almost everybody else.

The Oscar-winning blockbuster "The Brutalist" have caused plenty of engaged discussions with our tour guests about the Modernist architectural heritage.

Looking into a future, where the only right thing to do is to stop demolitions and avoif building from scratch whenever possible, old brutalist buildings with their bad rap need to be perceived as part of the future and a canvas for transformation.

We have two examples (almost) around the corner of our shop that show how it can be done:

KB 32, placed close to the harbourfront, has long been viewed as one of the ugliest structures of Copenhagen. It was originally designed in 1967 by the architect Ole Hagen, but in 2017 it underwent a comprehensive renovation by Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects. Key brutalist elements are preserved such as the concrete structure, expansive windows, and raw industrial aesthetic while introducing more daylight in the new facade, making the overall appearance more accommodating.
This eye-opening transformation turned KB 32 into a stylish, functional office space that even won the 'Copenhagen's Best Architecture' award in 2022.

Another example is the so-called “Desert Fortress”, designed by architect P***e Suenson in the 1960s. Originally it was a headquarters for the shipyard Burmeister and Wains and later used as an office building by a bank. The building has now, in 2021, been transformed by Henning Larsen Architects into a hotel that also meets its surroundings in a much more welcoming way.

We will have to adapt to a future with a new aesthetic based on the transformation of unattractive buildings. Transformation may be difficult and expensive, and the result might end up looking different from what is often considered "nice" in the first place, but it is still the right thing to do. The most sustainable building is always a building that already exists.

The more examples we see of transformations with an attentive balance between preservation and innovation, the easier it gets to acknowledge the qualities and potentials of ‘brutal’ buildings.

11/02/2025

🚇🎨🌀Metro art on the M4line!

As the wind blows freezingly, you would perhaps exceptionally jump off of your bike for a while and take the metro instead…

In the fall of 2024, M4 opened with an extension with 5 new stations towards the Sydhavnen district, all decorated with contemporary artwork specifically made for the specific stations.

Book a private tour with us, if you want to learn more about the metro art and the Sydhavnen area.

When the first metro line opened in Copenhagen in 2002, the city's mental map dramatically changed. Various areas and neighbourhoods that seemed so distant were suddenly within reach in a few minutes, and it suddenly seemed completely unnecessary to own a car as long as you also had your bike and lived and studied/worked in central Copenhagen.

When you take the Copenhagen metro, try to notice the award-winning light design and maybe find your inner child and go sit at the very front, pretending that you are the chauffeur of the fully automated, driver-free metro train.

22/01/2025

♻️👷🧱 If building transformation was an extreme sport for the future!

In Nordvest a former factory building has been transformed into an open community hub.
95% has been re- and upcycled and less than 5 % of new materials added - a concept of self-recycling within the building itself.

This study tour was centred around the overriding challenges of future construction and architecture: the climate crisis and how to bring down the carbon footprint. Transformation, recycling and upcycling overrule and change the premises of former discussions about aesthetics and how we usually think things should look.

Thoravej 29 is a thought-provoking case study, with a café open for everybody to visit.







#2400

22/01/2025

♻️👷🧱 If building transformation was an extreme sport for the future!

In Nordvest a former factory building has been transformed into an open community hub. 
95% has been re- and upcycled and less than 5 % of new materials added - a concept of self-recycling within the building itself.

This study tour was centred around the overriding challenges of future construction and architecture: the climate crisis and how to bring down the carbon footprint. Transformation, recycling and upcycling overrule and change the premises of former discussions about aesthetics and how we usually think things should look.

Thoravej 29 is a thought-provoking case study, with a café open for everybody to visit.







#2400

07/01/2025

❄️🚴🌧️🍃Winter mood in Copenhagen: all weather is perfect bike weather! 



 
 


 
 
 
 
 

20/12/2024

❤️🎄✨🚴Dressed up for the festive season!
Villa Hotel, previously the Post Office Headquarters of Denmark, lighting up on a dark, cold, and rainy December afternoon.
Villa Hotel is situated right across Copenhagen Central Station and next to the Tivoli Gardens.

The building was transformed and opened as a modern luxurious hotel in 2020 but was originally erected in 1912. Back then, it was nick-named ‘the toilet palace’ because of the great the amount of toilets for the office workers.

The neo-baroque original facade is highlighted with dramatic yet discrete lighting, topped with a festive red light in the tower!

17/12/2024

🎅🚴🎄Advent season at Queen Louise's Bridge, Nørrebro, Copenhagen.
At the beginning of Nørrebrogade, Queen Louise's Bridge is both a popular meeting spot, a place to party, a beloved sunset viewpoint, and a bicycling thoroughfare for around 30.000 bicyclists every day.

15 years ago, the pavement and bike lanes were broadened, while the car lanes were narrowed on Nørrebrogade. This transformed the arterial road of Nørrebrogade and the bridge from being a place for transport alone, into a great public space by the Lakes of Copenhagen.

15/12/2024

10/12/2024

25/11/2024