C.F. Møller Architects recognised internationally for sustainable office building

Carlsberg Central Office designed by C.F. Møller Architects. - C.F. Møller Architects recognised internationally for sustainable office building - C.F. Møller. Photo: Adam Mørk

29.8.2022

C.F. Møller Architects recognised internationally for sustainable office building

For Carlsberg's head office in Valby, C.F. Møller Architects recieves “The International Architecture Award”, which honours new and groundbreaking design worldwide.

The ambitions for Carlsberg's new headquarters were to bring together several of the company's departments in a dynamic and sustainable office building, where the indoor climate and the physical working environment are top notch.

Jakob Stilov, CEO of Carlsberg Estates, in front of the Carlsberg Central Office designed by C.F. Møller Architects. - C.F. Møller Architects recognised internationally for sustainable office building - C.F. Møller. Photo: Nicoline Eibye

- We had very high ambitions for the building. Our headquarters should be an attractive and inspiring place to work, where employees feel proud – not only of Carlsberg's products and brand – but also proud of working in attractive physical surroundings with a good indoor climate. We have not only built the building for the existing employees, but also to attract the best talents in the future, says Jakob Stilov, CEO of Carlsberg Estates.

Lone Wiggers, partner and architect at C.F. Møller Architects. - C.F. Møller Architects recognised internationally for sustainable office building - C.F. Møller. Photo: Mew

- As architects, we see that modern organisations place higher demands on the physical environment, both in terms of reflecting company values and sustainability. Carlsberg's headquarters encapsulates all of this and we are proud that the project is being recognized, says Lone Wiggers, architect and partner at C.F. Møller Architects.

The landscape which surrounds Carlsbergs central office, acts as a climate mitigant with sculptural water elements that support local rainwater drainage. Architects: C.F. Møller Architects. - C.F. Møller Architects recognised internationally for sustainable office building - C.F. Møller. Photo: Adam Mørk

Earlier this year, Carlsberg's headquarters was also recognised by the international GREEN GOOD DESIGN Award for its high standards of sustainability and indoor climate. In addition, the landscape project around Carlsberg's headquarters was recognised with the ECOtechGREEN Award for its climate mitigating landscape architecture, demonstrating how to manage rainwater in urban environments with a drainage system that directs rainwater to groundwater via integrated water features for flood mitigation.

Interior of Carlsberg Central Office. Architects: C.F. Møller Architects. - C.F. Møller Architects recognised internationally for sustainable office building - C.F. Møller. Photo: Adam Mørk

Sustainability and indoor climate

Carlsberg's headquarters is a low-energy and sustainable building due to its long-lasting solutions and materials. The emphasis is on a good indoor climate with natural materials, solar cells, and ventilation. Key indoor climate measures include high daylight standards for all stationary and flexible workstations, which are equipped with solar shading that is automatically controlled by daylight, as well as LED lighting and highly insulating 3-layer energy windows. The interior surfaces are untreated, raw, and without chemical treatment, and in addition to sustainable, hard-wearing, and sound-absorbing bamboo floors, the facade is noise-cancelled to 35 db, effectively eliminating traffic noise and ensuring perfect working peace in the building to great satisfaction of the users.

Carlsberg Central Office. Architects: C.F. Møller Architects. - C.F. Møller Architects recognised internationally for sustainable office building - C.F. Møller. Photo: Adam Mørk

About Carlsberg Central Office

The Carlsberg Group's new head office sets the framework for a modern and dynamic workplace, where the focal point has been to create a building that creates identity, knowledge sharing, and innovation.

At the same time, it has been important that the building interacts harmoniously with its surroundings and has the aesthetic quality that characterises Carlsberg as a company.

The building is located in the north-western corner of Carlsberg City, Copenhagen, where one of the building's three wings bridges one of the neighbourhood's main access roads, J. C. Jacobsens Gade, while the last two wings embrace Carl Jacobsen's historic garden and villa.

The atrium at Carlsberg Central Office. Architects: C.F. Møller Architects. - C.F. Møller Architects recognised internationally for sustainable office building - C.F. Møller

The building's central space, the atrium, opens onto Carl Jacobsen's Garden overlooking Carlsberg City, where Carlsberg has unfolded and continues to unfold its long history as a brewing company. The ground floor is open to customers and business partners and, with the atrium as a welcoming space that appears inviting and open to its surroundings.

The façade consists of large glass sections, rhythmically broken by vertical slats covered with recycled copper. The copper reminding of the old copper kettles used for brewing beer and also refers to the many fine copper details on Carlsberg City's historic buildings. In addition, the recycled copper facade is part of the sustainability with a very long lifespan of up to 150 years.

The building is adapted to the historic surroundings and scale of the site by stepping down the height towards the smaller surrounding houses and Carl Jacobsen's Villa and by designing the facade with angles. The result is a building that gently blends in and stands in beautiful harmony with its surroundings.

About The International Architecture Award®

The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, in collaboration with The European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and Metropolitan Arts Press, Ltd., has presented The International Architecture Awards since 2004.

The award honors the best and most significant building and landscape architecture designed or built by the world's leading architects, landscape architects, and urban planners with the aim of recognizing excellence in architecture and urban design from a global perspective. The programme celebrates new developments in design and communicates the current pioneering processes and directions of contemporary design thinking.