Increased connection with the city

Connecting the lobby to the atrium with skylights creates a bright and open unity with a direct view between the atrium and the facade windows placed in the inner courtyard. Now, passers-by can see the inside of the “OFFICE HOUSE” from the street. Thereby, the connection between the urban space and the building has been increased by using natural stones, similar to the ones on the street outside.

On the other floors, small, classical, single offices have been transformed into flexible, light and open office environments.

Interior design in respect of the history and character of the building

PLH transformed the building with great respect for the characteristic architecture and design of the building. The architects Ole Falkentorp and Povl Baumann designed ‘Ved Vesterport’ in 1932, which at the time was considered groundbreaking in terms of design, appearance and function.

‘Ved Vesterport’ is the first, larger functionalistic building in Denmark and the first Danish building constructed in a markedly iron structure – a construction method previously only used of NYC skyscrapers. Back in 1932, ‘Ved Vesterport’ was considered a tourist attraction and called “The New Centre of Copenhagen”. Registered as Copenhagen’s first office hub, small companies could now rent furnished offices with access to shared facilities or larger, connected offices areas. The building was equipped with the most modern installations at the time, such as an elevator, air conditioning, and neon signs on top of the building. At the opening in 1932, some of the most exclusive shops moved into the building.

The original spaciousness recreated

As part of the transformation, the original design was successfully recreated. Materials and design match the character of the building, as a new interpretation in interaction with the originally functionalistic architecture, along with added accent and references to the art deco-style. As an example, ‘Ved Vesterport’ had special designed and handmade entrance doors made and new energy-efficient windows, which match the original design form the 1930s. PLH revitalised ‘Ved Vesterport’ with a modern and contemporary working environment by focusing on the inflow of daylight and indoor climate.

Wayfinding with the original functionalistic typography

PLH Arkitekter has optimized flow and wayfinding in the entire building. The wayfinding in ‘Ved Vesterport’ links the physical space, the users, and the iconic architecture of the building.

The original oxidized cobber tiles from the roof of the building are reused to produce the signs in the 25,000 m2 large building. ‘Ved Vesterport’s’ well-known functionalistic typographic, which can be seen on the building’s neon sign reoccur in the signs inside the building. Thereby, ’Ved Vesterport’ appears as a unified facility created with respect for the history and character of the building.