A Black Gable Villa in Copenhagen Stands Out From Its Stately Neighbors

The modern dwelling incorporates its woodsy-yet-urban surrounds through copious glazing.

Oct 30, 2020 - 22:00

A Black Gable Villa in Copenhagen Stands Out From Its Stately Neighbors

The modern dwelling incorporates its woodsy-yet-urban surrounds through copious glazing.

Frederiksberg, just west of Copenhagen’s city center, is posh and leafy, an attractive area that melds quiet residential pockets with busier streets laden with cafés and design shops. There are also heaps of green acres within Frederiksberg Gardens. Historic architecture, including spacious villas dating from the 1800s, is another part of the district's allure.

But for one family with three children, a contemporary reimagining of such a stately structure was more enticing than moving into an original one, and so they turned to local architecture collaborative EFFEKT to transform a pristine plot of land into an urban home markedly different from those of their neighbors.

The facade, defined by a wall of glass on one end of the L-shaped dwelling, illuminates the muted living area.

Kristian Holm/EFFEKT

"It’s a jewel hidden away from the street," points out EFFEKT architect Gitte Juul Sørensen, who served as the residence’s project manager. Although the clients craved something "new and reactionary," the location was "difficult to build on and we were limited with what we could do in terms of volume," she adds.