ZÜBLIN reaches top of two 80-metre-tall tower blocks in Carlsberg City District

• To the top, one floor a week
• Open dialogue and solution-oriented cooperation
• Excellent for brewing – a challenge when building

To the top, one floor a week

ZÜBLIN is currently building two 80-metre-tall tower blocks with a total of 86,000 m² of residential units in Carlsberg City District in Copenhagen. The two buildings, Dahlerup Tower and Vogelius Tower, have now reached their full height and the projects are entering the final phase.

Since the groundbreaking in 2018, the projects have grown out of two deep holes in the ground where ZÜBLIN first installed the construction pits and then built the shell structures using 37,000 m³ of in-situ concrete and 8,600 tonnes of reinforcement. Today, the site is home to two modern tower blocks with façades “climbing up” the sides one floor every week.

This involves precision work at a lofty height, says ZÜBLIN project manager Karsten Skettrup: “We carry out the reinforcement, formwork and casting at a height of 80 metres above the ground. That requires special equipment and specific qualifications of our staff and business partners. The towers have risen one floor a week, immediately followed by the façades. It took a lot of planning and focus on logistics and working environment to reach the top. Under normal circumstances, we would celebrate our milestones with a big topping-out ceremony, but given the coronavirus pandemic, we have settled for a well-deserved pat on the back and high praise for everyone involved as we continue working.”

The following drone video presents a full overview of the complexity of the two impressive buildings rising into the sky in the historic Carlsberg City District: https://youtu.be/5VDKMzUQeKY.

Open dialogue and solution-oriented cooperation

The two projects comprise no less than 400 flats, retail and office space, and underground car parks. The client, development company Udviklingsselskabet Carlsberg Byen P/S, is following the project closely. Nearly all flats in Dahlerup Tower have been sold and the sale in Vogelius Tower continues to progress rapidly.

ZÜBLIN and Udviklingsselskabet Carlsberg Byen P/S have been working closely together to complete the buildings. The projects are based on early involvement and mutual cooperation, and a relationship of trust, in which challenges are solved together, exists between the partners.

Excellent for brewing – a challenge when building

When the brewer J. C. Jacobsen was looking for a location for his new brewery in 1847, he chose the area at Valby Hill because of the considerable amount of subsoil water. This is a great advantage when brewing beer, but a challenge when constructing high-rise buildings. For this reason, ZÜBLIN’s international experts in the fields of ground engineering and building construction put an enormous amount of effort into designing and optimising the buildings. The basements have been optimised to match the soil conditions, and the cores within the high-rises are anchored below the buildings in two-metre-thick base slabs to stabilise the towers. ZÜBLIN’s technical division worked out the structural design using BIM 5D, and all technical fields are coordinated using 3D models. The quality control is digital, using state-of-the-art software and innovative development projects with robot technology.

Today the area at Valby Hill is rapidly developing into a modern city district that unites history with modern times. The historic architecture has been preserved and incorporated into the new buildings. Many new residents have already moved into Carlsberg City District, and schools, shops and restaurants are bringing new life to the area in between the cranes.