Copenhagen Opera Park by Cobe

Cobe has designed a green oasis in Copenhagen's inner harbour, right next to the opera house. The 21,5 ha meadow in a prime inner-city location was originally intended for housing.

Floating roof

At the centre of the green space is the greenhouse and restaurant. Its floral, expansive roof of wild flowering grasses appears to float above the frameless, curved glazing. In reality it rests on a steel structure. The underside of the ceiling, made of irregularly perforated plywood panels, resembles the sponge of a mushroom. Inside, subtropical plants grow in open beds and in the two-storey atrium.

Prelude to the foyer

A curved staircase in the atrium leads down to the 300-space public underground car park. A staircase at the north-west corner of the parking deck leads up to a walkway. Like the façade of the greenhouse, its sides are closed with frameless curved glazing. As a prelude to the foyer, it winds over a green bridge to the sweeping roof of the Opera House.

A visit to the park immerses visitors in nature and gives them the feeling of having left the city. The winding paths offer new perspectives and reveal hidden nooks and crannies. The garden is divided into six vegetation zones to commemorate the ships that once called at the port from all over the world. 

In addition to the subtropical garden in the greenhouse, there is a cherry orchard, an English garden, a birch forest, a North American forest and a Danish forest. 223 species of plants provide a rich habitat for insects and birds and change with the seasons in fragrance, colour and volume. The colourful flowers of spring are replaced by shades of green in summer and later by red and yellow autumn leaves. Even in winter, evergreen pines and frozen water surfaces create an attractive environment.

Read more in Detail 7/8.2024 and in our databank Detail Inspiration.