MVRDV, in collaboration with local architects BCVA, created the “Papirøen” proposal with the aim of further developing the identity of one of the main hotspots in Copenhagen, Denmark. The competition was ultimately won by our friends at COBE. The artificial Paper Island, which was once home to a salt distillation plant and paper storage for the city’s newspapers, is one of the last of its kind remaining in the inner-harbour. MVRDV’s approach to the new mixed-use master plan was to enhance the identity of the site through preserving the existing buildings; warehouses, paper halls and boiler houses. At the same time residential units would be added above ground level, marked as white towers in the proposal, to be designed by future architects working with in the master plan. The existing structures are witnesses of the port’s history, development and industrial character and are used as a backdrop for a new era of activity on Paper Island. The proposal prioritises the island’s present functions, the port setting, unique atmosphere and historic structure; but adds facilities to build a more solid future from the temporary activities that currently sit there.

In usual circumstances, an urban renewal of this scale would call for the island to close and for all its functions to be relocated or shut down for a number of years; a counterproductive loss for the site. MVRDV’s proposal works with the site and its current inhabitants, offering a phasing strategy in which the Street Food Market can remain open, thereby maintaining the island’s identity through one of its most popular features. MVRDV’s Papirøen provides a new perspective from which to view the future of the island; a space for the people of the city, rather than an exclusive settlement; and a proposal that not only preserves a rich history, but builds on it to create new cultures and an enhanced identity.