16 September 2014

From barracks to dorms

Sølvgade Barracks seen from the air. To the left is The National Gallery of Denmark and The Natural History Museum of Denmark. The King’s Garden is seen in front of The Barracks.

Starting in 2015, students will be able to start calling the former barracks on Copenhagen’s Sølvgade street their new home. EjendomsSelskabet Norden, a property development firm, is responsible for the conversion, which the University of Copenhagen supports. The University’s housing fund will manage rental of the rooms, which will be used to house international Master’s and PhD students.

After serving as the headquarters of state railway operator DSB for almost a century, the former barracks on Copenhagen’s Sølvgade street will get another lease on life when it reopens as student housing next year. EjendomsSelskabet Norden purchased the property after DSB vacated it, and has begun the initial work of converting the buildings into 480 dormitory rooms. The renovations are expected to be finished in time for the first students to move in starting in the autumn of 2015.

“When we purchased the barracks we considered a number of possible uses. Because the property previously housed a large number of residents, we quickly settled on student housing as the best use. We’re pleased that both the Danish Culture Agency and the City of Copenhagen support the project, and we’re looking forward to the work, and to collaborating with the University of Copenhagen,” says Peter Andreassen, the head of EjendomsSelskabet Norden.

Lack of student housing

EjendomsSelskabet Norden and the University of Copenhagen have long discussed the possibility of using the property as student housing. The University faces a constant lack of student housing, which is a particular problem for its plans to attract more foreign students.

“Initiatives that help us solve the student housing shortage are good, and this project supports our strategy to attract more international students to Copenhagen,” says Prorector Thomas Bjørnholm.

The University of Copenhagen’s housing fund and EjendomsSelskabet Norden have agreed that most of the rooms will be let out to foreign Master’s and PhD students. All interested students – foreign and Danish – will be able to sign up starting in the summer in 2015.

Contact

Hans Halvorsen
Head of Campus Development and Planning
University of Copenhagen
Telephone: +45 2216 3361

Chief Advisor Charlotte Autzen
Communications
University of Copenhagen
Telephone: +45 2875 4264