The Financial Supervisory Authority

Strandgade 29 is a prominent corner building, situated along one of the canals in Copenhagen. It was constructed in 1964-65 as an office building with a characteristic facade designed to reference the neighbouring warehouses.

For many years, the property housed the Environmental Protection Agency, which relocated in 2017, and left the building empty for a few years. In 2020, following the government’s decision to relocate public jobs, The Danish Building and Property Agency began working on optimizing the government’s square footage in the Copenhagen area, minimizing empty space.

It is part of the Building Agency’s portfolio strategy to move from expensive, inflexible leases to more energy-efficient and flexible state-owned properties, and the vacant Strandgade 29 provided the opportunity to relocate the Financial Supervisory Authority from a private lease to a government-owned space. Before this could happen, a comprehensive renovation of the property was necessary to bring it up to current standards.

NORD Architects served as client advisors for the extensive renovation, where all interiors were demolished, leaving only the structural shell with windows. Subsequently, new ventilation, heating systems, and electrical installations were implemented. A new roof was installed, and the entire top floor was insulated to achieve contemporary energy and occupational health optimizations. Energy efficiency, indoor climate, and working conditions were upgraded to create a modern workspace with flexible open areas, and enclosed zones were utilized for meeting rooms, flexible workspaces, printer rooms, and phone booths.

Both offices, the cafeteria, and the conference center were designed to be multifunctional, allowing the spaces to be used throughout the day for various needs, meetings, and activities, optimizing square footage. Similarly, the office floors were also designed flexibly to accommodate variations and preferences in work. In the long run, the office building can easily be adapted for other organizations and times, remaining current without significant resource consumption when needs change. Daylight exposure was improved by adding new, large windows facing the harbor, providing a view of the waterfront. The Financial Supervisory Authority now occupies offices in the building with approximately 400 employees.