The modernist icon on Jarmers Plads 2 in central Copenhagen has been renewed to support a contemporary working life for Realdania’s employees. In collaboration with LAIKA Rumdesign, we have renovated 4,400 m2 with deep respect for the building’s original character, highlighting the value of robust materials, skilled craftsmanship, and the qualities of what is already here.

Designed by the Holst brothers, the building has been a familiar part of the cityscape since 1959 and stands as one of the earliest examples of Nordic modernist office architecture. Over the years, refurbishments and new decor carried out by various tenants had gradually obscured the building’s original expression. Yet during the renovation, a wealth of valuable details, craftsmanship and materials came to light.

Working together with Realdania, LAIKA Rumdesign, Øllgaard Rådgivende Ingeniører, and the craftsmen involved, our vision was to renew the building’s original identity and reinterpret what already existed for new generations of users.

Beneath layers of later alterations, many original features and materials were still intact, retaining their strong qualities and traces of the building’s history. With a clear ambition to preserve and reuse as much as possible, the original floors, ceiling elements and stairwells were carefully restored to prolong their life for many years to come, and in several places existing furniture has been reused in both adaptive and direct ways reimagined and directly reused. 

Where new additions were necessary, functions and elements were introduced with the utmost respect for the original. Developed in collaboration with specialist craftsmen, the new materials and solutions build on what was already there, tying together past and present. 

One of the most extensive interventions was the opening of a new passage, which now connects to a previously overlooked area. The new co-working space has gained an authentic character with original double doors, once stored in the basement, set in a bespoke timber frame stained to match the building’s signature teak. Working with a blacksmith, the missing original handle was recreated, allowing the doors to appear once again as they were originally intended.

The project spans 4,400 m² across five floors and has been completed for Realdania in collaboration with LAIKA Rumdesign and Øllgaard Rådgivende Ingeniører.