Jaegersborg Water tower / Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter

Architect: Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter Aps
Location: Gentofte, Copenhagen, Denmark
Project Year: 2006
Landscape Architect: Marianne Levinsen Landscape architects
Client: Gentofte Municipality and Domea
Engineer: Hansen, Carlsen & Frølund A/S
Site Area: 5,370 sqm
Constructed Area: 2,880 sqm
Photographs: Jens Markus Lindhe, Torben Eskerod & DMA

Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter ApS won in 2004 the competition to convert Jægersborg Water Tower into a mixed-use building. On the upper floors, student housing units mark the perimeter of the existing structure. Each unit is expressed by a protruding crystal-like add-on that brings daylight into the apartment, and offers unobstructed views to the surrounding landscape.

Together, the crystals and the communal balconies add both a human scale, and a new sculptural layer, that emphasizes the landmark character of the tower. The lower floors are inhabited by a youth center, and contain several large multipurpose rooms. A combination of tall windows and colored panels create a varied pattern that surrounds the youth center. Large garage-style doors on the ground floor open up to extend the active indoor space into the outdoor playground.