Apartments in the Constable School is a renovation and conversion of a listed former naval school at Margretheholm in Copenhagen, Denmark. The building dates from 1939 and had been abandoned for decades before its conversion into affordable student housing. 1
The project was commissioned for PKA, with Vandkunsten Architects as architect and developer of the design; the project page identifies Sjælsø Margretheholm A/S as the turnkey contractor and notes that Vandkunsten had previously designed the wider Margretheholm neighbourhood for the Sjælsø developer group. 1 The renovation took place in 2014–2015 and created 84 apartments across 3,400 square metres, with a construction cost of DKK 38 million. 1
The design retained as much of the existing building as possible, keeping its worn character and making the contrast between old and new visible. The project worked with the original masonry façade and concrete structure, while adding contemporary elements to support the new residential use. 13 The apartments are arranged for student living, and the project page describes the aim as providing affordable housing within the listed building. 1
Vandkunsten’s project team lists Kristian Westh, Thomas Nybo Rasmussen, Julie Gjettermann Bergelin, Søren Nielsen and Andreas Skytte Hvid. 1 The conversion received Denmark’s Renovation Prize (RENOVERprisen) in 2016. 12