Smedegården 12

The Smedegården 12 project revitalizes the former industrial site into a modern residential district with 156 homes distributed across 4–5 storeys, a Mobility Hub with parking and a rooftop fitness area, as well as a centrally located Community House.

The housing development is organized as an open, fragmented block, where smaller building wings create varied urban spaces with good daylight conditions and a human scale. The architecture features light brick façades in a Nordic palette, where relief, vertical shifts, and subtle detailing add depth and tactility. The façades are divided into three zones — base, body, and top — with variation in brickwork, materiality, and color. The roofs alternate between flat and simple pitched forms, offering the potential for green roofs and shared roof terraces. Balconies and French balconies bring life and visual interaction with the streetscape.

The development maintains a building density of 110%, allowing for generous green communal areas. Parking needs are gathered in a three-storey Mobility Hub with a public rooftop terrace overlooking The Green Square. The façade is designed as a lightweight system incorporating recycled materials and vertical planting, and will also feature integrated artwork by local artists, adding identity and experiential value to the building.

The Community House is positioned close to the future city park, the social focal point of the neighborhood, and is designed with green roofs and recycled materials from the former property, supporting the project’s environmental profile.

The landscape draws inspiration from Ishøj’s coastal meadows and local nature types. The courtyard is slightly elevated and designed with a rainwater basin, flowering meadow grasses, and native trees that ensure biodiversity while creating shelter and variation. New trees, green edge zones, and organic pathway connections tie the area together with The Green Square and the surrounding neighborhood. Rainwater is managed through SuDS solutions and green roofs.

The project creates a harmonious whole between architecture and landscape in the new district, with community and environmentally friendly materials as key elements. It is part of the Build for Life fund by Thylander — an ambitious development initiative that delivers high-quality rental housing across Greater Copenhagen. The fund operates on an integrated platform combining investment, development, and long-term management, ensuring, for example, that all buildings are planned with lower CO₂ emissions than required by Danish building regulations. Build for Life promotes a variety of housing types — from apartments to terraced houses — often complemented by green spaces, shared facilities, and communal functions that support vibrant, future-proof neighborhoods.