KAB, Copenhagen’s largest housing association, has a new headquarters space that combines the administrative with the creative, courtesy of Henning Larsen. The 79,000-sf headquarters building is located at the axis of two major streets in Copenhagen, between one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods and one of its newest.
The building features a sturdy, red-brick exterior and forgoes a traditional front and back. Instead, it is a pentagonal shape that opens to the city on all sides. Atop the headquarters building is a green roof garden with spaces for visitors and employees to gather and take a break.
![KAB interior stair](/sites/default/files/inline-images/KAB2.jpeg)
The new KAB headquarters was designed to be representative of Denmark’s approach to collectivism, welfare, and the home itself. The building design takes traditional elements of the home, such as the living room, the stairs, the garden, and the kitchen, and applies them to the workplace. Things begin very office-like on the ground floor with an open and airy reception desk flanked by a plant-filled seating area, behind which the office canteen is nestled.
![KAB exterior facade and windows](/sites/default/files/inline-images/KAB3.jpeg)
Almost everything in the atrium is clad in wood, creating a scent and texture not often associated with the workplace. The slender stairs cut back and forth across the middle of the atrium, descending on large community kitchens on each floor.
"The stairs are a play on the classic stairwell of residential buildings, which is typically the place you meet your neighbor,” said Troels Dam Madsen, Associate Design Director at Henning Larsen, in a release. “In the KAB House, we added layers of visibility, texture, and beauty to what is usually a very practical space.”
![KAB interior stair](/sites/default/files/inline-images/KAB5.jpeg)
The western edge of the atrium is a wall of windows. Behind these windows are the main meeting rooms, which are outfitted to resemble rooms in a house. This area marks the border between the private workplaces for KAB and the space that is accessible to the public.
The new building is a gathering place for 44 housing organizations and provides the framework for KAB’s 400 employees’ daily work. KAB moved into the building in June 2021.
Related Stories
Office Buildings | Jan 18, 2018
*UPDATED* Amazon narrows list of possible HQ2 locations down to 20 cities
The company expects to invest over $5 billion in construction and grow HQ2 to include as many as 50,000 jobs.
Office Buildings | Jan 3, 2018
Activating the workplace
Here's how active work stations impact how you think, perform, and feel.
Office Buildings | Dec 19, 2017
How do we measure human performance, and what does it mean for the workplace?
There are many new tools and methods that are beginning to look more comprehensively to evaluate organizational well-being.
Office Buildings | Dec 15, 2017
How environmental graphics can inspire culture and creativity in the workplace
Once you secure outstanding talent, how do you keep the creative juices flowing and help employees feel more connected to their company’s culture?
Office Buildings | Dec 14, 2017
San Francisco’s first WELL v1 Certified project has been completed
The space emphasizes WELL’s vital concepts of air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind within the workplace.
Mixed-Use | Dec 12, 2017
A new live/work neighborhood is about to get under way in Omaha, Neb.
Walkability and recreation will be key features of West Farm.
Office Buildings | Dec 1, 2017
Telecommunications company’s remodeled headquarters makes use of its unique H shape
lauckgroup designed the new headquarters space.
Office Buildings | Nov 6, 2017
Battle for 50K: Amazon HQ2 pushes cities to rethink urban development
In using an open RFP process with a tight timeline, Amazon created a frenzied, almost hackathon-like atmosphere that it hoped would spark next-level creativity when it comes to urban redevelopment.
Adaptive Reuse | Oct 23, 2017
A tableware storage space is reset to accommodate an investment firm’s headquarters in Raleigh, N.C.
This adaptive reuse establishes more direct visual and physical connections to a growing city.
Office Buildings | Oct 20, 2017
Hybridization of the co-working experience
Exploring potential innovations for the co-working industry.