Enghave Brygge Metro Square by Juul Frost Architects

From Masterplan to Metro Square
Since 2007, Juul Frost Architects has been involved in shaping Enghave Brygge Syd – from the original masterplan and local plans to detailed building schemes. The studio has led the supplementary planning process for the new metro line and accompanying square, including updates to the building layout, traffic planning, and design of the metro plaza. As lead consultant, Juul Frost Architects also won the tender for developing plots at Enghave Brygge Syd.

Juul Frost Architects is responsible for all phases of the new square – from concept to construction documents. Nearly 200 metres long, the plaza is conceived as an everyday urban space that accommodates both transit and pause. A broad staircase leads down to the canal, prism-shaped metro windows bring light and rhythm to the surface, and green beds with integrated seating inviting to soak it all in.

Flanked by new buildings on one side and Nelson Mandela Avenue and the Enghave Brygge canal on the other, the square mirrors the avenue’s tree line. Combined with industrial planting and robust materials, this sets the tone for one of Copenhagen’s greenest metro spaces.

Rooted in Industrial Heritage


The design draws from the site’s distinct identity and industrial past – notably the nearby H.C. Ørsted Power Plant. This narrative continues through material choices and planting strategies that echo the raw character of the former harbourfront.

Large-format concrete tiles tie the square together, while shifts in surface texture highlight three key zones: the waterfront edge, the link to Frederiks Brygge, and the entrance to Kraftværksparken. The planting scheme features hardy grasses, stonecrops, and crushed materials in raised beds, alongside a mix of trees and berry-bearing shrubs to create seasonal variation and a rich sensory experience.
Infrastructure is discreetly integrated into the landscape: metro windows, ventilation, elevators, and staircases form a unified spatial band. Bike parking spots are clearly organised in specific areas, leaving other zones open for movement, outdoor seating, and informal gathering.

A Seamless Urban Experience


More than a point of passage, the metro square becomes a threshold between infrastructure and daily life. It plays a central role in defining the identity of Enghave Brygge Syd – both as a connector and a destination in its own right.

The space is organised to be legible and fluid. Whether arriving by metro, bike, or foot, users are met with clear orientation, softened by greenery and generous sightlines. Spatial sequences are carefully composed to guide movement and support intuitive use.

The square supports a range of everyday activities – from morning commuters and after-school play to casual meet-ups and open-air events. Its flexible design accommodates both spontaneous use and programmed functions, ensuring year-round vitality.

Lighting is integrated to enhance safety and atmosphere after dark. Durable materials were chosen for their tactile and visual qualities – how they reflect light, respond to the seasons, and age with dignity.
A Square of Movement and Pause
The square’s rhythm is shaped by both motion and stillness. Infrastructure forms a backbone that anchors open areas and smaller, more intimate zones. Transitions in elevation are handled through steps, ramps, and green terraces, blending form and function.
Seating is integrated seamlessly into the landscape of the wharf with water, patinated steel, glass, and vegetation forming a material language rooted in the site’s industrial DNA, while offering a robust and welcoming framework for public life.

From Transit Hub to Urban Landmark
Enghave Brygge’s metro square tells a new story in Copenhagen’s tradition of people-focused public spaces. Grounded in local identity and designed for contemporary life, it transforms a transit space into a layered urban experience – a place to arrive, depart, meet, pause, and return to.

• Project typology:

The Enghave Brygge metro square is designed as more than a public square that connects transit with daily urban life. It features integrated seating zones, plenty of bicycle parking spaces, and recreation by the old wharf for the 3.000 daily passengers. Making a public space suitable for days where you are in a hurry and days where you have all the time in the world.

As a part of the new metro line M4 in Copenhagen, Enghave Brygge (brygge means wharf) is making transportation easily accessible for the new Copenhagen commuters settling in the area. Situated in a new residential area and still bearing witness of the old industrial part of Copenhagen with H.C. Ørsted power plant as one of the landmarks; we have bound past and present together with effective infrastructure.

• All landscape architecture offices involved in the design of landscape:

Juul Frost Architects

• All architecture offices involved in the design:

Juul Frost Architects

• Other credits you need or wish to write:

Photography: Astrid Maria Busse Rasmussen

more by Juul Frost Architects

Renewal of Reventlowgade

Flyvestation Værløse

Køge Kyst