Copenhagen has always been at the forefront of innovative design and sustainable architecture. It is little wonder that the city was named UNESCO-UIA World Capital of Architecture for 2023–2026. The home of Scandi cool has an infallible knack for blending the traditional with the modern. I’ve been visiting regularly as the mother of a student at the University of Copenhagen, and my favourite way to discover its architecture is through its warren of neighbourhoods, from the offbeat streets of Vesterbro and the vibrant food scene of Nørrebro to the grandeur of the Royal Quarter.
Water, light, green spaces and innovative thinking have long shaped Copenhagen’s approach to urban development and liveability. So when a disused, man-made island in the inner harbour, once home to warehouses storing paper, came up for redevelopment, the challenge was to turn an industrial outpost into a place people would want to inhabit.
The result is one of the city’s more striking urban transformations: a neighbourhood where contemporary residences, public spaces, food halls and cultural venues come together against a waterfront backdrop. To understand the metamorphosis, I joined Bente Hoffman of Slow Tours for a walkabout and a history lesson.
“Three hundred years ago, the Danish captain Johan Georg Motzmann and his brother required a site to repair their ships. Needing a prime location, they decided to build an artificial island right in the harbour, naming it Motzmann’s Square,” she explained. “Over the following centuries, the island played a multifarious role for the city. Sold to the military in 1723, when it was renamed Christiansholm, it became a military hospital and subsequently an arsenal. But it was its 1950s avatar, as the site of paper warehouses, which earned it the moniker ‘Paper Island’ (Papiøen), and it is this period that locals fondly remember.”
The island was used by the Danish Press’ Joint Procurement Association to store paper before it was distributed to printers. By 2012, the decline of print media had made the warehouses redundant, and the island fell out of use. Its story might have ended there had local property developer Klaus Kastbjerg not imagined a different future for the abandoned outpost. The first signs of change appeared in 2014, when Copenhagen Contemporary, an independent institution promoting international contemporary art and culture, rented 3,400 sq. m. of former paper halls. The space also became home to Copenhagen Street Food, a covered market that drew visitors with its lively waterfront setting and an eclectic food offering.
Experimentarium, the science museum, also moved into a temporary space next door, followed by the opening of Copenhagen Contemporary’s art gallery in 2016. These ventures helped transform a once-closed industrial area into a popular destination for Copenhageners and tourists.
The Next Chapter
The success of these temporary ventures paved the way for a more permanent neighbourhood, with a mix of residential, cultural and public spaces. Enter Cobe, the Copenhagen-based architecture studio founded in 2006 by architect and professor Dan Stubbergaard. Known for its work on several landmark projects, including the development of North Harbour, the studio drew up the masterplan for Paper Island.
Cobe’s approach was to preserve the character of the old warehouses while giving the site a new purpose. The firm envisaged buildings that would bring public life back to street level, with exhibitions and events sharing space with homes. The idea was not to erase the island’s industrial past, but to build on it.
Green Inside, Blue Outside
What better way to explore Paper Island than to live on it for a few days?
I checked into the stylish 25hours Hotel, whose design combines a Soho House sensibility with a nautical edge, placing me at the heart of this lively waterfront neighbourhood. Sun-dappled windows and pockets of greenery soften the contemporary architecture, while the busy public spaces give the island a distinctly social character. Residences rise above the public halls, with rooftop gardens that recall the courtyard layouts of traditional Copenhagen blocks.
To echo the façades of the old brick warehouses, the architects turned to Petersen Tegl, a family-run brickmaker known for its customised bricks and tiles. The aim was to reproduce the yellow tones of the nearby historic warehouses. The resulting coal-fired bricks are rough and textured, giving the façades a play of colour and shadow that changes with the light.
This attention to material and context makes Paper Island worth a visit for design enthusiasts, but its appeal extends well beyond architecture. Design shops, cultural spaces and a generous choice of places to eat give the neighbourhood plenty of life.
There are around 40 food trucks serving everything from Vietnamese bánh bao and artisanal coffee to Danish fish and chips with tangy remoulade and Moroccan flatbreads. I tried a POPL burger, the much-loved burger concept that grew out of a takeaway operation during the Covid-19 pandemic, while waiting for my daughter to finish class.
By five in the evening, the tables were full. I wandered along the harbour and found a spot at the water’s edge. Locals were swimming with the nonchalance of people at a Mediterranean beach. For a moment, I felt suspended between sea and sky. Perhaps that was when I finally understood what hygge means: not simply cosiness, but the pleasure of being exactly where you are, with nothing more required of the moment.
The Information
Nearby attractions: Explore the colourful waterfront of Nyhavn, the canals of Christianshavn, the royal residence at Amalienborg and the contemporary art spaces of Refshaleøen. Copenhagen’s historic centre, with its cafés, design shops and galleries, is also within easy reach.
Getting there: Fly into Copenhagen Airport, which has international connections from India. From the airport, take the Metro or a taxi into the city, then continue to Paper Island (Papirøen) by public transport, bicycle or on foot.
Visa: Indian passport holders generally require a Schengen short-stay visa to visit Denmark. Apply well in advance of your trip.
Best time to visit: May to September brings longer days and milder weather, ideal for exploring on foot and dining outdoors by the waterfront.
