Moxon
Aerial view of a sprawling island cityscape surrounded by water. The land is densely packed with buildings, green spaces, and roads, while numerous boats dot the surrounding waters under a partly cloudy sky.
Nordhavnen

Nordhavnen

Copenhagen, Denmark

2008

Client   By & Havn
Buildings · Masterplanning
This award winning proposal for a new sustainable district in the Nordhavnen area of Copenhagen is city plan driven by a holistic understanding of urban life. Residential, retail, cultural and public spaces overlap and are enmeshed, with amenities and activities flooded throughout – as a resident, everything you need, and your work, could be within a short distance, whether cinema, grocer or gallery.
Aerial view of a futuristic coastal cityscape with a grid-like layout. The city is surrounded by water, with visible islands and waterways. The architecture is modern, with a mix of buildings, green spaces, and long white pier extending outward.

Making use of its seaside location, it refuses to see water’s edge as a boundary: an archipelago is formed of floating buildings ­– some anchored and linked with jetties and piers, some accessible only by boat. The archipelago will become established as a unique floating community, with its own identity distinct from that of mainland Copenhagen. 

The plan is designed to maintain richly varied and characterful areas, linked together by clear pedestrian and public transportation routes along two main axes. These two avenues will be much more than just shopping streets: wider, with public functions, stalls and concert venues to be used for markets, fairs and festivals.

A series of architectural diagrams showing site analysis, land use, and development phases, with overall layout and design evolution, architecture by MOXON Architects.
A minimalist black and white sketch of a cityscape with a sailboat in the foreground. Buildings and trees line the background, with birds flying overhead. The scene is calm and open, set against a blank white space.
Three vertical diagrams show urban planning concepts. The left has grey blocks indicating streets. The middle shows streets with some green areas. The right illustrates a more developed park space with paths and trees, intersected by angled lines.
A minimalist black and white line drawing of a flat urban landscape, featuring buildings, trees, and a large open square with small figures walking. The perspective gives a broad view of the area.
Four architectural diagrams of a city plan are displayed in sequence, showing progressive urban development from left to right. Each diagram highlights building layouts and urban blocks on a grid background, indicating changes over time.
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Aerial view of a coastal city with a large, triangular area extending into the ocean. The area is lined with docks and industrial facilities. The city features a grid-like layout with green parks and numerous buildings.

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