Nordic nature was the inspiration for Nordea’s new headquarters

The previous Nordea headquarters in Christiansbro, Copenhagen were designed by Henning Larsen architects in the late 1990’s; hence it was natural to continue the efficient cooperation when the new headquarters were planned. Nordic nature and the vision of creating transparency between the employees, clients, and the city were the bases for the design. “Nordea’s new building interacts with the city, opens up and invites for activity at different levels. It is a place in the city that offers activity inside as well as outside”, tells Louis Becker, Design Director, from Henning Larsen.

It is a great tribute to the Nordic landscapes. Through the large windows and crystalline facades, the passers-by can see how the daylight flows through the building. In addition, the building was designed to meet the highest LEED standard – LEED Platinum. The headquarters comprise of two light and sculptural buildings; one houses employees with their clients and the other is dedicated for Scandinavia’s largest trading floor with the capacity of 600 traders.

Spæncom, a part of the Consolis group and an Elematic customer, was responsible for delivering the precast elements to the construction site following a strict schedule. A major logistical and manufacturing challenge had to be overcome. Nearly 10,000 concrete elements – including beams, columns, concrete walls and hollow-core slabs – were to be delivered during nine months, meaning 50 – 60 elements delivered each day. Spæncom was up for the challenge with dozens of years of experience in designing, manufacturing and assembling solutions for the construction sector.

MT Højgaard, the contractor, and Spæncom cooperated closely throughout the project. Without logistic precision and flawless communication between the contractor and the precast factory, the project would not have proceeded as smoothly as it did. Poul Dam, Project Manager at Spæncom comments, “MT Højgaard was committed to getting the assembly done as fast as possible. We worked hand in hand with their very experienced assembly manager, who was dedicated to the project, in order to always find the most adapted, quickest solution.”

According to Louis Becker, “The new building provides Nordea’s employees with the best opportunities to produce results in an inspiring and modern work environment. With good, natural daylight conditions, we not only create a warm, open and bright environment, but also a sustainable statement that will set new standards in Denmark.” This project proves how something truly unique can be built with precast products, when designers, precasters and all people involved work closely together.

Image: Photo Adam Mørk