PFA – Marina Park

Based on the special character of the house

Marina Park has housed PFA for more than three decades, and the distinctive, red brick building in Nordhavnen has over time almost become synonymous with the pension company.

Marina Park a characteristic and at the same time atypical business domicile with clear postmodern features. Therefore, one of the project’s central grips has been to preserve, emphasize and reinterpret this special design language and at the same time open the building up to Nordhavnen as a more welcoming domicile. In addition, Marina Park is being transformed and revitalized into a vibrant and modern workplace that clearly reflects PFA´’s values ​​and culture.

The renovation continues the reddish-brown tones, the structure of the building and the special brick tile that already characterizes the facades of Marina Park. At the same time, the facades are modernized with materials in the same color scale, which will add a renewed and modern look to the building – for example, all windows will be replaced with a narrow, contemporary and elegant frame that will give the original buildings a lighter facade look.

Marina Park today consists of two separate building parts, which in the transformation will be connected by three footbridges, which will be built in line with the existing architecture with i.a. facade panels in corten steel. The new footbridges connect the buildings across all floors, and will be furnished with small seating groups, where there is the opportunity for informal meetings and breaks during the day. Roof gardens are established at the top.

Part of Nordhavn’s rapid development

Marina Park is located in Copenhagen’s North Harbor – an area which in recent years has been transformed from a closed industrial area into an open, vibrant and dense local environment. Therefore, in the transformation, active work has been done to create a headquarters, which to a greater extent addresses the surroundings by opening up to the surrounding city.

Here, Sweco Architects’ landscape department has worked with the areas around Marina Park, where an outdoor arrival area and green areas have been created between the buildings. The green areas grow under Marina Park in the places where the buildings are raised above ground. Marina Park will thus visually stand on top of a green base, which from the outside will make the building more welcoming to the outside world.

A focus area in the transformation is also to move the main entrance to Marina Park, so that the house’s users and visitors arrive from Sundkrogsgade, where i.a. the area’s Metro and S-train station are located. At the new main entrance, PFA’s work of art with the four Tumlings by the artist Bjørn Nørgaard will be placed.

Front Office

Marina Park was originally constructed on pillars, creating a large unused area under the buildings. In the transformation, certain parts of the area under the buildings will be used to install and establish new functions – for example, the employees’ existing sports hall, which until now has been located on the upper floors of Marina Park, will be moved to the new ground floor. In addition, a kitchen and canteen area, a new auditorium and a new central square will be established, which will be the center of the future PFA – Front Office.

Via the new main entrance you arrive directly at the new Front Office, where the house uses and visitors are met by an open and lively atmosphere. Front Office is the house’s flagship, meeting center and arrival area. Here, a large inner square is established in double height, which binds all the functions of the house together and supports the possibility of dynamic and flexible cooperation and community in the house.

The Front Office houses a café and local coffee islands that can serve both employees and guests, as well as a number of meeting centers located on different levels. Via large doors, the large arrival room can be connected to the sports hall and the auditorium, so that the rooms together can accommodate several hundred guests for eg large customer or employee events.