Danish practice COBE will breathe new life into Copenhagen’s ‘Paper Island’ on the city’s harbour.

The firm beat six other teams – led by OMA, MVRDV, Henning Larsen, C.F Møller, Adept and Holscher Nordberg + Polyform ­– in a competition to masterplan a revamp of the artificial island, which was used as a newspaper storage facility for over 50 years.

Officially called Chistiansholm, the 29,000 sq m site is the last undeveloped quay along Copenhagen’s harbour.

‘Our vision for the island’s future is to create a place that celebrates the city’s culture and the Copenhagen way of life,’ says Dan Stubbergaard, owner and creative director of COBE.

‘It was important for us that Christiansholm in future will be a first-class example of Copenhagen’s generous urban living that can attract tourists and visitors and at the same time has a strong local presence.’

The firm, whose offices are on the island, will replace the existing paper storage warehouses with new structures housing event halls, galleries and swimming pools. Homes and creative offices will occupy the upper levels of these buildings, which will encircle a public courtyard.

Some of these ideas – including the swimming pool, art gallery and creative hub – came from Copenhagen locals in a public competition last year.

Since 2013, when the Danish press moved its storage facilities elsewhere, Paper Island has become home to creative companies, a street food market and the Experimentarium City science centre.