Dorte Mandrup’s Centre for Health: A Community-Focused Timber Sanctuary in Copenhagen
Dorte Mandrup’s Centre for Health in Copenhagen represents a pioneering approach to healthcare architecture, designed to address lifestyle-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular conditions. Situated in the historic Nørrebro district, the centre is part of the city’s initiative to provide accessible and community-focused healthcare services. Completed in 2025, the building embraces a holistic approach where architecture, wellbeing, and sustainability intersect.
The centre is designed to encourage interaction, education, and preventive health practices. It offers a variety of functional spaces including classrooms, consultation rooms, physical training areas, and a teaching kitchen. The architectural concept prioritizes openness, light, and social engagement, fostering a welcoming environment for users of all ages. By combining natural materials, spatial fluidity, and thoughtful programmatic organization, the Centre for Health demonstrates how architecture can enhance both physical and mental wellbeing while integrating seamlessly into the urban fabric of Copenhagen.
Architectural Design and Layout
The building features a curved form, clad in soft metal and expansive glass, harmonizing with the surrounding red-brick structures. At the core of the design is the “Heart Room,” an atrium supported by 15-meter-high glulam timber arches that create a cathedral-like atmosphere. This central space connects all major functional areas, including educational spaces, physical training zones, consultation rooms, and the community kitchen.
The layout emphasizes transparency and openness, ensuring that visitors feel guided through a coherent and intuitive spatial experience. Staircases, ramps, and seating areas are designed as social hubs, promoting informal interaction and fostering a sense of belonging among users.
Materials and Sustainability
The use of Swedish timber for the interior lining enhances acoustic comfort, provides warmth, and improves indoor air quality. Timber was selected for its aesthetic qualities, environmental performance, and ability to create a tactile and inviting environment. Complementing the timber are soft metals, glass, and neutral finishes, resulting in spaces that feel both modern and human-centered.
Sustainable strategies include passive ventilation, daylight optimization, and the integration of energy-efficient systems. Materials were sourced with a focus on local availability to minimize transportation emissions. This approach aligns with principles of sustainable architecture and emphasizes the environmental responsibility of public buildings.
Program and Functional Uses
| Functional Area | Use | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Heart Room | Central atrium | 15m timber arches, social hub, natural lighting |
| Educational Classrooms | Health workshops, preventive care classes | Flexible layouts, integrated technology |
| Consultation Rooms | Individual patient consultations | Privacy, acoustic comfort, natural materials |
| Training Areas | Physical exercise and therapy | Adaptive equipment, visual openness, timber finishes |
| Community Kitchen | Cooking workshops and nutrition education | Hands-on learning, durable surfaces, safe materials |
Architectural Analysis
The design logic centers on community engagement, wellness, and environmental sustainability. The curved form and timber structures create a welcoming, human-scaled environment. The Heart Room functions as both an architectural and social anchor, enabling spatial hierarchy while encouraging interaction. Glulam arches express structural honesty, while the use of natural finishes reinforces a tactile and comforting atmosphere.
Contextually, the centre integrates sensitively into the Nørrebro urban fabric, respecting the surrounding red-brick buildings while introducing a contemporary civic presence. The material palette, spatial layout, and circulation paths enhance user experience, supporting both physical activity and social cohesion. The design demonstrates that healthcare architecture can extend beyond functionality to include social, environmental, and emotional considerations.
Project Importance
The Centre for Health illustrates how architecture can influence behavior, wellbeing, and community engagement. It shows architects and designers the value of combining social, environmental, and spatial strategies in public buildings. The project contributes to architectural thinking by integrating sustainable materials, human-centered spatial organization, and interactive public spaces into typologies often limited to clinical functionality.
At a time when lifestyle-related health issues are rising, architecture plays a critical role in shaping environments that encourage healthy behaviors. The centre exemplifies innovation in healthcare typologies, demonstrating that buildings can educate, inspire, and connect users. By prioritizing sustainability and community-focused design, the project offers insights into future healthcare architecture that balances ecological responsibility with human needs.
✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight
Dorte Mandrup’s Centre for Health in Copenhagen exemplifies a community-focused approach to healthcare architecture. Completed in 2025, the project integrates wellness, social interaction, and sustainability through its timber-clad atrium, educational classrooms, consultation rooms, training areas, and community kitchen. The central Heart Room, supported by 15-meter glulam arches, functions as both a social and architectural anchor, promoting engagement and connection among users. Natural light, open circulation, and carefully selected materials create a welcoming, human-centered environment.
Critically, the design successfully merges functional healthcare requirements with social and environmental considerations. While the timber and natural finishes enhance comfort and sustainability, long-term maintenance and resilience in high-traffic community spaces may require careful management. Nevertheless, the project demonstrates how architectural design can encourage healthy behaviors, foster social cohesion, and embed ecological responsibility in urban public buildings.
Overall, the Centre for Health sets a precedent for healthcare architecture by combining spatial innovation, material honesty, and community engagement, offering a model for future inclusive, sustainable public spaces.
Conclusion
Dorte Mandrup’s Centre for Health sets a benchmark in healthcare architecture by combining spatial innovation, sustainable materiality, and social engagement. Its timber-clad interiors, functional variety, and central atrium create an environment that supports wellness, learning, and interaction. By embedding sustainability into the design and using materials that are locally sourced and environmentally conscious, the centre demonstrates how architecture can influence both human health and urban integration.
The project teaches that architecture is not only about form but also about social impact, ecological responsibility, and user experience. As cities worldwide seek sustainable, inclusive, and health-promoting buildings, the Centre for Health stands as a model for future public architecture that addresses human needs, environmental challenges, and community connection.
The photography is by Adam Mørk.
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