Thoravej 29 by Pihlmann Architects: A Radical Model for Circular Architecture in Copenhagen

Transforming a 1967 Industrial Building into a Contemporary Cultural Hub

Thoravej 29 in Copenhagen represents a pioneering step in circular architecture and adaptive reuse. Designed by Pihlmann Architects, the project transforms a former 1967 factory and municipal disability center by Erik Stengade into a vibrant cultural and creative hub, championing a radical reuse strategy that sets new standards for sustainable renovation in Denmark.

Located in Copenhagen’s evolving industrial district, the 6,336 m² building now houses galleries, exhibition spaces, studios, workshops, offices, meeting rooms, and a public canteen and café, serving a community of more than 150 creative professionals across 30 organizations.

A Building That Rebuilds Itself: Circular Design at Its Core

This project treats the existing building as a material bank—a resource to be harvested rather than demolished. Structural components, facade elements, fittings, and interior materials are carefully dismantled, cataloged, and reintegrated in new configurations.

Key Circular Achievements

• 95% reuse or recycling rate (by weight of existing materials)
• Up to 88% reduction in carbon emissions compared to new construction
• 90% reduction in construction waste
• LEED-guided lifecycle research conducted in collaboration with DTU

Concrete floor slabs become broad sculptural staircases. Facade bricks reappear in landscape paving. Door handles, carpentry elements, and lighting are repositioned or re-crafted into bespoke furniture and interior detailing. Rather than relying on conventional finishes, the architects celebrate the rawness and history of each salvaged piece.

Architectural Strategy: Subtraction, Reuse, and Spatial Re-Animation

Stripping Back to the Industrial Bones

The building was returned to its fundamental structure—column-beam frame, TT slabs, and linear façade composition—allowing new interventions to emerge with clarity and honesty. Lightweight partitions were removed, stored, and selectively reused to support the project’s evolving spatial needs.

Spatial Transformation

The intervention reinterprets the building’s horizontality through TT-slabs carved into generous stairs and seating terraces, weaving together floors and creating dynamic, interconnected environments. Formerly closed facades are opened to reveal large windows and transparent garage doors, establishing visual and physical dialogue with the street and inviting the public inside.

Material Honesty & Industrial Preservation

Thoravej 29 embodies a raw yet refined character, preserving the industrial DNA of the site while introducing new layers of program and experience. Elements are left exposed or minimally refined—shredded, compressed, resurfaced, or repositioned—based on material capability, not aesthetic assumptions.

This approach creates a living archive of the building’s memories, where adaptation outweighs addition, and creative reuse becomes a powerful architectural language.

Awards & Recognition

Thoravej 29 has quickly become a benchmark for sustainable renovation and cultural reuse, earning prestigious awards and honors including:

• Building of the Year 2024 – Licitationen
• Copenhagen Municipality Building Award 2025
• Renoverprisen 2025 (Denmark’s most significant renovation prize)
• Finalist – AR New into Old Awards 2025
• Finalist – Danish Design Awards 2025

 A Blueprint for Future-Forward Adaptive Reuse

Thoravej 29 demonstrates how resource-responsible architecture can reshape cities, strengthen cultural infrastructure, and celebrate the material story of existing buildings. By embracing subtraction, adaptation, and innovative reuse techniques, Pihlmann Architects proves that sustainability is not only measured in metrics—but experienced in material memory, urban dialogue, and community impact.

Thoravej 29 stands as a model for future circular building practices, pushing the boundaries of adaptive reuse and redefining architectural sustainability in Europe.

All photographs are works of Hampus Berndtson