Mixed-use schemes play an increasingly important role in urban regeneration, creating hubs of interaction which breathe new life into cities. We showcase five projects driving change.
Paper Island, Copenhagen
For 300 years, Paper Island – an industrial site previously dedicated to paper storage in the port of Copenhagen – was off limits to the public. Yet a decade ago, all this changed when the location became the home of a pop-up space in its once derelict warehouses, hosting street food halls, art exhibitions, fashion shows, concerts and flea markets.
However, the installation was conceived as a temporary event, as the existing buildings were in a poor state of repair – and there were even bigger plans afoot.
In 2016, architectural firm Cobe won first prize in the architectural project to transform Paper Island into a new urban district for the city of Copenhagen, fit for the coming centuries. Taking into account the fact that the existing buildings couldn’t be reused.
The design had to be based on tearing everything down and building new structures from scratch, while staying true to the fundamental philosophy of ‘transformation’ for the site. in this case, that meant not the conversion of an actual building, but the reimagining of the unique spirit of the place and the creation of an urban ‘mood’, as Dan Stubbergaard, architect and founder, Cobe, explains.
‘Our vision for the island’s future is to create a place that celebrates the city’s culture and the Copenhagen way of life. It was important for us that Paper Island also in future will be a first-class example of Copenhagen’s generous urban living that can attract tourists and visitors at the same time has a strong local presence,’ Stubbergaard says.
Cobe was also involved in Paper Island’s pop-up project, helping shape a site which became the fourth-most visited tourist attraction in Denmark. Learning from this success, the architectural studio chose the robust architectural type of the industrial hall as a programmatic premise for the redevelopment of Paper Island into a sustainable setting for a vibrant culinary culture.
The new residents of Paper will benefit from a significant park inspired by the romantic gardens of the 19th century. The park is a donation from the AP Møller Foundation and designed by Cobe.
The project will also feature a hotel, the 128-key Hotel Paper Island, which is slated to open in early 2024 and will be operated as a 25hours hotel. This has been acquired by Union Investment Real Estate and will be added to the holdings of the open-ended real estate fund UniInstitutional European Real Estate. The vendor is the development consortium Christiansholms Ø, a joint venture between Danica Pension and Danish project developers Nordkranen and Unionkul.
Says Andreas Löcher, head of investment management hospitality at Union Investment: ‘Copenhagen is one of Europe’s top hotel markets with high barriers to entry. We are therefore delighted to be able to enter the Scandinavian hotel market with the acquisition of this flagship project. Paper Island will provide a high-quality user experience and is expected to attract up to 1.9 million visitors a year in the future.’
East Bank, Stratford
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the designated legacy site in Stratford, East London, is set for a further transformation into London’s newest quarter, dubbed East Bank. Earmarked as a destination for innovation, creativity and learning, the neighbourhood is to become one of the world’s largest and most ambitious culture and education districts and central to ambitious regeneration plans for the area east of the capital, in the wake of London hosting the 2012 Olympic Games.
Over the coming years, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will welcome new sites for Sadler’s Wells, BBC Music and the V&A as well as University College London and University of the Arts London's London College of Fashion.
Architects Populous have designed a 21,500-capacity music venue at the site dubbed The Sphere, which will be the first venue outside the US of entertainment giant Madison Square Garden Company. Populous took on the transformation of RSHP’s Millennium Dome into the O2 venue and also designed the 2012 Olympic Stadium, close to the East Bank location.
The Sphere will be a 21,500-capacity venue wrapped in triangular LED panels, situated on a 1.9 ha triangular site next to the Westfield shopping centre. It will stand close to the former Olympic stadium, now the home of football club West Ham United. A smaller 1,500 capacity venue is also planned at the Sphere site along with restaurant and retail space.
Norblin Factory, Warsaw
Norblin Factory in Warsaw comprises the ambitious regeneration of a former factory space into a bold, mixed-use scheme. Covering a total area of over 65,000 m2, including 41,000 m2 of modern A+ class offices and 24,000 m2 adapted for entertainment, culture, food, retail, and service space. While much of the space was completed in 2021, this year will see further openings complimenting its extensive cultural, leisure and retail offering. The site also includes new office space, enriching its user base.
The complex already includes boutique cinema KinoGram, Poland’s first market with certified organic products BioBazar, and the city’s largest food court in the shape of Warsaw Food Town. The Norblin Factory is home to a Buqiet flower shop, a YES jewellery store, an Alkohole Swiata shop, the Tashka publishing house which also operates the Norblin Factory Museum, a Sirene Eyewear store, and the atmospheric Piano Bar.
New outlets opening or opened this year include the Apple Museum Poland, Poland’s first fully digital art gallery Art Box Experience, the craft beer bar Uwaga Piwo, the restaurants Soul on the grill, Paradiso and Blue Cactus, a Bang & Olufsen store, the Manufaktura Wisni, and a W. Kruk jewellery store. The complex will house a modern OrangeTheory Fitness club, the newonce.media Group, a SuperPharm drugstore and pharmacy, a Paris Optique store, as well as a Medicover Stomatologia dental care centre.
Lvivo 59, Vilnius
Zabolis Partners, a veteran investment group in the New Nordic region, has created a sustainable plan to transforming Vilnius’ Central Business District (CBD) into a vibrant urban hub. With its real estate unit, Releven, the investment company is focusing on urban regeneration through high-quality developments in prime locations in downtown Vilnius.
To date, Releven has acquired four prime Vilnius CBD land plots, including more than half of the district’s undeveloped land, and laid out a five-year plan for the development of some 200 000 m2 of premium projects. In parallel, it has begun work on a flagship residential and office mixed-use initiative.
‘We are excited to begin executing on our sustainable vision, transforming our Central Business District into a 15-minute-city, combining places for living, working, services and leisure. After Covid, we bring a fresh response to the evolving needs of Europe’s increasingly sophisticated, international, environmentally-aware workforce,’ says Saulius Merkys, Releven’s managing director.
Releven’s flagship project, located at Lvivo 59, is a 55 000 m2 sustainable micro-city community on a hectare of land in Vilnius’ northwestern quadrant, adjacent to one of the capital’s central boulevards. Designed by leading architects, sociologists and city planners, the project aims to create a sense of quiet and community within the city centre, attracting residents of all ages by offering convenience, functionality, beauty and safety. The company is exploring new, sustainable construction possibilities, including on-site energy generation and utilizing wooden construction.
In light of the current record deficit of housing in Vilnius, Releven is planning the construction of up to 400 flats at the site. Up to two-thirds of the projected units are to be for rent, professionally managed by companies specialising in the private rental sector. All residential properties in this complex will become the first to be BREEAM certified as sustainable buildings.
Added Merkys: ‘In Vilnius, as in urban centres throughout Europe, people are looking to live in safe, nurturing and tranquil community environments without sacrificing a walkable/bikeable commute, plentiful green space and convenient access to shopping and recreation. Our projects will facilitate the emergence of these hubs by creating a mix of elegant low and high-rise residential buildings, premium office space, service provision and protected green areas – all just steps from Vilnius’ busy city centre.’
Porto Montenegro
Located on the UNESCO-protected Bay of Kotor, the well-established Porto Montenegro already offers world-class facilities, including a picturesque 460 berth superyacht marina, five-star Regent Porto Montenegro Hotel and premium residences and over 300 apartments, as well as international fashion boutiques and a vibrant dining scene.
Acquired by Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD) in 2016, the fast-growing luxury lifestyle destination is still only 40% complete with plans to expand into to five neighbourhoods under its masterplan with work already underway on two of those neighbourhoods under its current ten-year development programme.
A new urban village Boka Place, which is under development today and set for completion by 2024, will introduce a five-star health and wellness lifestyle concept hotel and fitness hub, Siro.
Synchro, meanwhile, featuring Porto Montenegro Yacht Club, will deliver a luxury hotel and spa set within a beach setting plus a major events and entertainment centre with a wide-ranging lifestyle and leisure programme.
David Margason, managing director at Porto Montenegro, says: ‘Our vision is to complete Porto Montenegro as the premier boating and super-yachting hub in the Mediterranean and to reinvent waterfront living with a diverse collection of eclectic but integrated neighbourhoods, which will be introduced over the lifetime of the masterplan according to the prevailing markets, and which harmoniously fuse together to create a place of discovery, and creative and adventurous fulfilment.’
