SYDHAVN CHURCH

NEW CHURCH AND PARISH CENTRE BY THE WATERFRONT OF COPENHAGEN

From a historical background characterized by brickworks, clay extraction, and shipping, the new district of Teglholmen in Copenhagen has gradually transformed its industrial character into a modern and attractive urban area, where the water in the canals and harbour channels plays a central role in the urban landscape. Here, in this rapidly growing residential area, a new church is being built with a special function as a gathering place. The complex will provide a beautiful and flexible setting for both formal church services, ceremonies and contemplation, as well as for more informal activities such as cultural and social events.

THE WOODEN CHURCH – COMBINING TRADITION AND PRESENCE

With its central location by the water, Sydhavn Church and Parish Centre will have a distinct and visible profile as a landmark for the neighbourhood. The building is oriented towards the cardinal points, incorporating the church’s traditional axis into its design.

The ambition has been to create a robust modern church that will stand for more than 100 years. A church that not only accommodates religious functions but also serves as an active element in local everyday life, providing a wide range of social and cultural activities. The church is to be open and inviting as part of the public urban space, meeting present and future demands for a spiritual space with great and flexible usability.

The church is designed as a monolithic building consisting of square timber modules, rotated according to the church’s traditional world axis. Without a fixed directional orientation in the floor plan, the church faces both city and water, with a distinctive curved roof that embraces the entrance with the porch and bell tower, as well as the main sanctuary with altar, water, and daylight from above.

The church space itself is located on the first floor, overlooking the water and harbour. A key element has been the desire to incorporate the water as an integral part of the church interior. There will be visual contact from the worship space to the water surface, and the atmosphere of the room will absorb light and reflections from the surrounding water as well as from the skylight beneath the distinctive woven timber ceiling. The church space will become a ceremonial sensory space – a meeting between sky, earth, and water.

THE CHURCH AS AN INTEGRATED ELEMENT OF THE DISTRICT

The church building is positioned as a central volume within a large green park and can be experienced from all four sides. The new church will become an active and integrated element of the district’s life and diverse activities.
The ground floor will house public cultural and parish functions. This level opens towards both harbour and city through the large publicly accessible park, which, as a peaceful and beautifully landscaped outdoor space, is adapted to its unique location at the edge of the city by the water.

The park can include features for the benefit of the neighbouring daycare institution and the area’s residents. With its open and accessible character, the garden will become a natural gathering place for everyone in the area, creating connections between the different parts of the district.

The church is constructed as a compact volume of glulam timber structures, focusing on combining beautiful, durable, and sensory materials with a low climate footprint in both construction and operation. The interior and exterior surfaces are finished in light-treated pine, and the floors are tiled.

The church has been designed  with Cornelius Vöge as architects in collaboration with co-architects Rørbæk Møller (lead consultant), Thing Brandt as landscape architects, and Artelia Engineers.

Culture

Transformation

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Private

Planning