Copenhagen Water Culture House is rising in the centre of the Danish capital as one of the most visible new landmarks in the redevelopment of Paper Island, or Christiansholm, with construction advancing on a project designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma and scheduled for completion in the second half of 2026. The building is set to combine public bathing facilities, wellness areas and community spaces on a prominent waterfront site near the Opera House.
Kengo Kuma’s project is reshaping Copenhagen’s harbourfront
The new Water Culture House is being built on the north-western corner of Paper Island, a former industrial site in Copenhagen’s inner harbour that is being turned into a new mixed-use district with housing, hospitality, food venues and public waterfront access. According to the project developers, the scheme was born out of a public idea process launched by the City of Copenhagen in 2015, when residents were invited to suggest what kind of cultural and recreational building should rise on the island.
An international competition followed in 2017, and the winning proposal came from Kengo Kuma & Associates, with Danish partners later involved in the development and delivery of the scheme. The project is now being executed with Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects as executive architect, combining an internationally recognisable name with a strong local architectural presence.
Why the Water Culture House looks unlike most buildings in Copenhagen
Architecturally, the project stands out for its cluster of cone-shaped brick volumes placed on a lighter glass base. The design draws on Copenhagen’s traditional rooflines and brick craft, while giving the building a more sculptural and multi-directional expression than the surrounding developments.
The architects say the aim is not to create a single monumental object, but an experience shaped by water, light and movement. The structure is designed so that indoor pools, outdoor baths and harbour access connect visually and physically with the surrounding waterfront. One of its defining features will be an outdoor heated pool placed in a valley formed by the roofscape, alongside harbour bathing areas for different age groups and uses.
Costs, facilities and the public role of the new cultural centre
The project is expected to cost DKK 865 million (€115.9 million). According to the foundation behind the development, Nordea-fonden has contributed DKK 465 million (€62.3 million), while the City of Copenhagen has provided an interest- and repayment-free loan of DKK 375 million (€50.3 million). A further DKK 25 million (€3.4 million) has been allocated for sustainability initiatives.
Beyond swimming facilities, the building is planned to include meeting rooms, an assembly hall and training spaces, reinforcing its role as a civic and social venue rather than only a leisure facility. That broader public function is central to the project’s identity, especially in a city where access to the harbour has increasingly become part of urban life and everyday recreation.
Paper Island’s redevelopment reflects a wider Copenhagen strategy
The emergence of the Copenhagen Water Culture House also reflects a wider pattern in the Danish capital, where major waterfront projects are increasingly expected to serve both architectural ambition and daily public use. Paper Island had long been inaccessible to most residents before temporary cultural uses helped turn it into a popular destination. The current redevelopment aims to make that transformation permanent.
That makes the new building more than a high-profile architectural commission. It is also part of Copenhagen’s broader effort to tie urban regeneration to public space, climate-adapted waterfront living and a strong culture of accessible leisure infrastructure. If the schedule holds, the opening in late 2026 will add a new cultural and recreational anchor to one of the most strategically located areas of the city.
The project is still under construction, but it is already becoming a visible symbol of how Copenhagen’s harbourfront continues to evolve: through a combination of global architecture, local materials and public-facing urban design.
