Right now the construction of the Bella Sky hotel in Copenhagen is the largest building site in Denmark. In only 6 months Bella Sky will open as one of Scandinavia’s largest and most spectacular hotels Visually the hotel will be characterized by the two leaning towers, creating a spectacular and unspoiled view over the green meadows, the sea and the Copenhagen skyline.
The two towers incline 15 degrees – by comparison the leaning tower in Pisa leans at an angle of 3.97 degrees – amounting to a staggering 20 meter slope difference between the ground and top floor. In order to accommodate such working conditions special fitters were trained to abseil down the building to mount the façade.
Bella Sky construction in progress, image courtesy 3XN
The unique design creates diversity at almost every floor level and thereby challenges the scopes for conventional construction. The complexity of Bella Sky reflects not only the great engineering and constructional achievements, but also the architectural ambition to create a unique and personal hotel experience.
Inside the hotel will accommodate the luxurious feel of a four star hotel with interior inspired by the Scandinavian design tradition. Due to the complex architecture hotel guests will find more than 200 room variants, which contribute to creating an individual, exclusive and warm atmosphere – and facilitate new hotel experiences again and again.
The spectacular design makes Bella Sky a unique landmark. At the resent topping-out ceremony the Danish Minister for Economic and Business Affairs, Brian Mikkelsen and Copenhagen City Mayor, Frank Jensen complimented the architectural vision and pointed to Bella Sky’s great significance for the Ørestad region and Copenhagen as a whole.
Accommodating 814 rooms, 32 conference rooms, 3 restaurants, lounge, a sky bar and a 850 m2 wellness centre the hotel will meet the wishes of a much needed extension to the Bella Centre Conference facilities and prepare Copenhagen to host large international events in the future.
The spectacular four star hotel will open in May 2011.
Bella Sky construction in progress, image courtesy 3XN
+ Project description courtesy 3XN
A new landmark hotel and conference center designed by 3XN is first step of the long-anticipated extension of the Bella Center; Copenhagen’s famous Congress Center. The upgrade of Bella Center will add an urban feeling to the place, and the extension will immediately benefit from Bella Center’s perfect location: Situated between the old city core and Orestad; Copenhagen’s growth center, Bella Center is connected to two important worlds of activities, and furthermore it’s close to the Metro as well as the Copenhagen Airport.
Initially, 3XN has worked out a master plan for the entire Bella Center area to establish the right place for the two-tower hotel. The master plan is flexible and may be executed in several phases. It draws upon the classical urban weave of rectangular streets and blocks, but leaves each field open to interpretation.
The two hotel towers stand close as a pair, yet seem a little shy; the towers incline in opposite directions. The reason for this is to obtain an unobstructed view from all rooms in each tower of the flat landscape. The sky was not the limit in this case; flight safety requires a max tower height of 75m (25 floors) this close to the airport, so one tall tower was not an option.
Wind considerations as well as a wish for a landmark signal caused the top twist of one tower, while the wish for a clearly indicated entrance caused the ground floor twist of the other tower. The hotel lobby is merging into the existing entrance lobby of the Bella Center, making the hotel a true integrated part, ready for large events like the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair; this time with rooms for rent.
Bella Sky construction in progress, image courtesy 3XN
+ Project credits / data
Project: Bella Sky
Address: Bella Center, Center Boulevard 5, DK-2300 Kobenhavn S |
Award: 1st prize in invited competition 2006
Completion: 2011
Size: 42,000 m2
Rooms: 814
Budget: Each tower €37m
Program: Hotel
Architect: 3XN | http://www.3xn.dk/
Engineer: Ramboll
M&E: EKJ A/S
Client: Copenhagen Congress Center / Bella Center A/S
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