Low-angle shot. Gemini Residence

Islands Brygge is home to three old silos that have undergone a serious makeover which has resulted in new, modern apartments. The three silos - the Seed Silo, Wennberg Silo and Press Silo - were all once part of the Soya Bean Cake Factory. All three have now been converted into homes.

The old Seed Silo consisted of two raw, naked concrete cylinders 25 metres in diameter. The challenge in converting the silo lay in its very nakedness. How to preserve the authenticity of the silo while allowing room for innovation? It proved difficult cutting large apertures in the concrete rings, e.g. for tall door openings. Furthermore, if the apartments had been placed inside the silos, they would become inward-looking in terms of the surroundings, which call for views.

The apartments were therefore positioned on the outside of the two concrete cylinders. This lends new advantages to the buildings, whose glass walls and wide balcony with protective glass railing offer panoramic vistas of the harbour and city. Both silo cores have been covered with a new "weather screen" made from transparent film, creating a lobby space throughout the height of the building in which residents and visitors can move up and down.