The Danmarks Nationalbank building was designed to house the Danish central bank and it has a minimalist yet monumental architectural expression. The building is an important part of Danmarks Nationalbank’s history and identity, but its special architectural expression does not appeal to everyone. It is admired by many, but also criticised for not fitting in with the old, elegant facades of its surroundings. But the building was actually designed to be in harmony with the surrounding buildings.
Danmarks Nationalbank is located at the heart of Copenhagen among elegant 19th century buildings and it is neighbour to the Old Stock Exchange, Holmens Church, Christiansborg Castle and several ministries.
Two materials were used for the building’s facade. Perhaps the more striking of the two is the light grey marble, a unique Norwegian marble type known as Porsgrunn. The other material used for the facade is glass. Both the marble and the glass are mounted on the outside of the building in flat, vertical panels. These uniform vertical surfaces are echoed in several of the buildings that surround Danmarks Nationalbank.
With its dark markings and grey shades, the marble has a vivid and organic surface that appears both subdued and full of detail. The glass facade reflects the weather and the time of day and varies depending on whether it is a sunny or cloudy day, morning or night.
The marble and the glass are mounted on the outside of the building without being part of the load-bearing structure. The facade is based on the curtain wall principle, which was highly innovative when Danmarks Nationalbank was built.
Get a peak behind the scenes
If you have been around Copenhagen, you may already have noticed the Danmarks Nationalbank building. With our virtual tour, you can also get behind the scenes and see parts of the building that are normally closed to the public for security reasons. And you will learn about Danmarks Nationalbank’s history and current role in society.
You get the best 360° view in the YouTube app on a mobile phone and turn it horizontally. For the best experience, enable full-screen mode and use 3D glasses, if available.
Architecture
The Danmarks Nationalbank building comprises a tall and a low section. The low section was designed to ensure that the neighbouring Holmens Church is not dwarfed by the building.
In the Danmarks Nationalbank building, architecture, interiors, furniture and fittings were all designed specifically for the needs of the building and its function as Denmark’s central bank. It is a hallmark of Arne Jacobsen’s approach to architecture and design that nothing is left to chance, either in detail or holistically.
The building has several of Arne Jacobsen’s famous designs that were originally created specifically for Danmarks Nationalbank, for instance the VOLA faucet, the Lily chair and the Banker’s Wall Clock.
Experience the architecture
In this video, you can take a virtual tour which tells you about the thoughts behind the architecture and brings you close to many of the details that the architecture and interior design of the building contain.
Take a virtual tour and learn about the building's architecture.
You get the best 360° view in the YouTube app on a mobile phone and turn it horizontally. For the best experience, enable full-screen mode and use 3D glasses, if available.
The lobby
You enter Danmarks Nationalbank’s lobby through a very small entrance the shape of a keyhole. Once you are through the small opening in the wall, the lobby unfolds in front of you. Danmarks Nationalbank’s lobby is reminiscent of cathedrals and churches because the ceiling is very high and the room is long and narrow like a church. The lobby space rises up through the building’s six storeys to a height of nearly 20 metres.
Daylight filters through the lobby through the panels mounted on Danmarks Nationalbank’s facade. Perhaps one of most striking features of the lobby is the steel staircase at one end of the lobby. The staircase is suspended from the ceiling with red steel wires, seeming to float in the air, and connects all the building’s floors.
The lobby walls and floor are made of the light grey marble also used for the facade of the building. The walls are decorated with red and yellow tapestries to provide a contrast to the cool grey colours otherwise used in the lobby. The tapestries were created by Kim Naver.
Materials and principles
Light grey marble has been used both on the facade of the Danmarks Nationalbank building and inside the building, but wood also plays a major part inside the building: light brown pearwood panelling or Doussie wood flooring, a slightly darker wood, has been used for most walls and floors inside the building.
The glass facade is based on the so-called curtain wall principle, which means that the facade has been mounted on the building without being part of the load-bearing structure. This principle was highly innovative when Danmarks Nationalbank was built.
Danmarks Nationalbank’s gardens and courtyards
If you were to take a flight over the Copenhagen rooftops, you would see that the Danmarks Nationalbank building is actually shaped in the figure 8, with two courtyards featuring rocks, water and plants inside the two ‘holes’. Because the inner spaces of the Danmarks Nationalbank building only have a view of the courtyards and they supply the surrounding rooms in the building with daylight, great care has been taken in their design.
The single-storey structure of the building also has a roof garden and a pavement garden with lime trees and an ornamental pool facing Holmens Church. The long pavement slabs came from the old Danmarks Nationalbank building, which was demolished to make room for the new one. A low, freestanding granite wall winds its way along the pavement garden. Lovingly dubbed ‘the Currency Snake’, it refers to the nickname given to the first attempt in the 1970s to establish a European monetary system.
The building’s history
In 1870, Danmarks Nationalbank moved its headquarters in Copenhagen from Slotsholmen to Holmens Kanal, to a building designed for the purpose by the architect J. D. Herholdt. Despite several subsequent expansions, the physical premises had become too small after World War II, and larger facilities were needed. Given the tasks of Danmarks Nationalbank, it was deemed to be important to remain in a location close to the central government offices, and hence it was decided to include the rest of the block and erect a new building.
Architectural competition for leading architects of that time
In 1961, Danmarks Nationalbank invited leading architects of that time to enter a competition. The competition was to result in a solution whereby Danmarks Nationalbank’s functions could be gathered in one place, close to the Old Stock Exchange, Holmens Church, Christiansborg Castle and various ministries. Arne Jacobsen’s design was selected as the winning project because his solution met the requirements for the building to be used as a central bank – and because the architectural idea of the building was successful.
The construction process was divided into stages
It was important that Danmarks Nationalbank’s functions could be maintained during the construction process. Therefore, the construction process was divided into stages, making it possible to transfer individual functions as the new sections of the building were completed.
Stage 1, from 1965 to 1971, comprised parts of the office wing, the banknote printing works, machine room and canteen facilities. The choice of materials was made at this stage. Stage 1 was completed shortly before Arne Jacobsen’s sudden death in 1971.
Stage 2, from 1972 to 1976, included all banking facilities, the rest of the office wing, reception rooms, the banking hall, the lobby and the main entrance. Architects DISSING+WEITLING took over the project from this stage onwards.
Stage 3, from 1976 to 1978, comprised e.g. Danmarks Nationalbank’s service functions and the underground car park.
Listing
The Danmarks Nationalbank building was listed in 2009, and at the time of its listing, it was the youngest listed building in Denmark.
The listing decision was made by the Heritage Agency of Denmark (now the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces) at the recommendation of the Historic Buildings Council. The listing is based on the architectural and cultural heritage values of the building, including its architectural presence in the city, its layout and materials, gardens and courtyards and extremely well-designed and intricate details.
The listing means that Danmarks Nationalbank must apply to the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces for permission to perform construction work other than ordinary maintenance.