Pyramidal towers rise on Copenhagen‘s Paper Island. Kengo Kuma‘s KAI Water Culture House is nearly finished, and it opens next month.
The 5,800 square metre aquatic centre holds ten pools, indoor and outdoor, with access to the harbour. Kuma designed it alongside Danish practices Cornelius Vöge, Søren Jensen and Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects.
The idea for the aquatic centre started with residents. Most of them asked for somewhere to swim.
Residents wanting somewhere to swim is a familiar story, and bathing culture is shaping recent projects elsewhere too. Alchemy Saunas Brings Roman Bathhouse Style to Fremantle shows how a historic building can host modern heat and water rituals.
Building the bathhouse
An international competition followed in spring 2017. Kengo Kuma & Associates won it. Cornelius Vöge, a Copenhagen studio founded in 2006 by Nanna Vöge and Dan Cornelius, worked on the concept stage. Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects also worked on the project.
The building is a pyramidal brick bathhouse and aquatic centre. The colour varies subtly from brick to brick. KAI’s designers say the palette follows the grey tones of the surrounding buildings.
Inside the aquatic centre
The pools are spread across two levels. The ten pools are indoor and outdoor. The first floor holds a 36°C therapy pool, a 42°C hot pool and a 15°C cold plunge, along with a heated stone, a steam bath and three saunas. Two pools sit outdoors on that level. The Valley Pool, at 26°C, lies between the towers under open sky. The Onsen, at 36°C, overlooks the harbour.
Nordea-fonden contributed DKK 546 million and the City of Copenhagen paid DKK 443 million. The client is the Paper Island Water Culture House Foundation.
Outside, a timber deck runs along the quay, linking the building to the wider copenhagen harbour pools. Two marked zones sit in the harbour itself. These outdoor bathing areas will not be ready in December. They are scheduled to open in early 2027.
Ikeguchi places the project within a longer shift. The name reflects that identity. In Japanese, kai means sea. In Danish, the word calls up kaj, the quay where the building stands.
Sydney, Tokyo and London
In Sydney, the museum Powerhouse Parramatta opens today. Moreau Kusunoki and Genton designed it on the banks of the Parramatta River in western Sydney. A steel-lattice exoskeleton wraps the building. Dezeen describes the project as the largest cultural project in Australia since the Sydney Opera House.
Reusing older buildings runs through this week’s stories, and brick is central to a recent Edinburgh renovation. Edinburgh Townhouse Gets a Curved Red Brick Extension offers a close look at a sympathetic brick addition.
In Tokyo, the annual design week Designart Tokyo is underway across the city’s venues. Dezeen picked six standout projects from this year’s event. Two of them were an exhibition that examines how people see forests and a lamp that unfolds like an accordion. Elsewhere in the city, the emerging design exhibition Alter showed an AI-powered tea ceremony and furniture made from washi paper.
Automotive brand Fiat revealed its Multiplay concept car this week. The vehicle can convert from an SUV into a pickup. Its seats move, and its interior is built to be reconfigured.
In London, Jaguar redesigned its flagship store in Knightsbridge. The showroom is the only place in the world where visitors can see the recently unveiled Type 01 electric car.
Recognition and housing
The French studio Lacaton & Vassal Architectes, led by Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, received the Le Prix Charlotte Perriand 2027. The studio is known for social housing. The Créateurs Design Association & Awards recognised its work in transforming and improving existing buildings.
Other stories drawing readers on Dezeen this week include an arched London apartment building by Alison Brooks, a former workshop converted into a Japanese home, and a garden studio the designers describe as “quiet yet present.” Each shows a different way of rethinking the built environment, from new towers on the waterfront to the reuse of old buildings.
Source: dezeen.com
Frequently asked questions
Who designed the KAI Water Culture House in Copenhagen?
Kengo Kuma designed the KAI Water Culture House on Paper Island, working alongside Danish practices Cornelius Vöge, Søren Jensen and Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects. Kengo Kuma & Associates won an international competition held in spring 2017 to design it.
How many pools does the KAI Water Culture House have?
The KAI Water Culture House has ten pools, which are both indoor and outdoor. The pools are spread across two levels, and two of them sit outdoors on the first floor.
How large is the KAI Water Culture House aquatic centre?
The aquatic centre covers 5,800 square metres. It has access to Copenhagen’s harbour.
When will the outdoor harbour bathing areas at KAI open?
The two marked outdoor bathing zones in the harbour will not be ready in December. They are scheduled to open in early 2027.
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