Transformation of a 7,500 m² former police station into a new, modern hotel in Kødbyen
- Address
- Halmtorvet 20-22, Copenhagen
Info
- Client
- Slättö
- Area
- 7,500 m²
- Architect
- ACT Architects
- Project period
- 2025–2027
- Contractor
- Arpe Kjeldsholm
- Total Construction Cost
- 200 million DKK
Nature of the Project
Transformation of Borgenhus, a 7,500 m² former office building, into a modern hotel in the heart of Vesterbro. The building was constructed in 1963 as an office complex designed by architect Frederik Bojesen and has housed the Copenhagen Police for the past 30 years, from 1994 to 2024. Going forward, the project aims to create a unique fusion of history and the future by preserving the building’s distinctive architecture and bringing it into a new era.
The property is located in the heart of Vesterbro, overlooking Kødbyen, just a few minutes’ walk from the Central Station. The building comprises three wings with 5, 6, and 9 stories, respectively, as well as an underground parking garage beneath much of the structure.
The property’s original architecture will be preserved, with the natural stone and enameled glass facade carefully renovated, while the former office spaces and interrogation rooms will be transformed into a total of 169 modern hotel rooms. The ground floor will open up to the city with a new hotel entrance as well as a café and restaurant area featuring outdoor seating.
The project not only adds a new hotel to central Vesterbro but also marks an important step toward the vision of a more sustainable urban life. The entire transformation project is focused on a so-called “brown-to-green” conversion, in which the building’s high energy consumption is transformed into a more sustainable property. The goal is for the project to be certified to DGNB Gold.
The Swedish real estate investor Slättö owns the property, which will be operated by the international hotel operator Bob W.
According to the plan, the Halmtorvet project will be completed in October 2027.
Quote
“Halmtorvet is a fun project that many Danes—especially Copenhageners—are familiar with. It’s our old police headquarters, which started out as an office building, then became a police station, and is now being transformed into a new, modern hotel. The raw structural elements will be preserved on the inside, but otherwise it will look much the same on the outside. A really cool project!”
Sustainability
At ABC, we specialize in transformation projects aimed at avoiding the waste of usable building materials. The load-bearing structure often accounts for between 40 and 60% of CO2 emissions.
By reusing the existing building stock, we reduce the need to manufacture new, environmentally harmful structural elements. At the same time, transportation to and from the construction site is also reduced, as the volume of construction waste being hauled away is significantly decreased, and fewer new materials need to be transported to the site.
At Halmtorvet 20–22, a “brown-to-green” transformation is also underway, in which the building is undergoing a series of energy-efficiency improvements that will reduce the climate impact of the building’s future operation. The project aims to achieve DGNB Gold certification.
