Cubic Houses by ADEPT in Copenhagen

Danish architecture firm ADEPT has designed a new residential complex in Copenhagen. Cubic Houses is a small block formed of stacked cubes that create a dynamic whole.


Craft a large area for a residential block that works, without foregoing aesthetics and good quality of living. This more or less describes the brief for Danish firm ADEPT  in Copenhagen. Far from wanting to try and square the circle, the architects instead opted for the great versatility of the cube, here featured as eight, 5-storey cubic volumes. Their vertical and horizontal combination creates a 10-storey, 8000-square-metre building and still keeps everything on a human scale.
Each of the eight cubes features different window arrangements, balcony layouts and facade colours and the whole arrangement creates movement: by stacking them off-centre and moving them forwards and backwards, the architects have created a dynamic street front over the canal and community spaces in the block itself. Their response references building blocks and games - from Lego to Tetris, as well as the board game Jenga - bringing forth positive emotions.
Still, this feeling of well-being isn't just visual because, despite the size of the residential block, ADEPT managed to make the whole thing people-friendly. Each floor accommodates two spacious, light-filled apartments with a simple layout and at least one balcony. The dynamic arrangement also allowed the architects to include a ground-floor courtyard and a green space between the fifth and sixth floors. These design solutions encourage residents to engage with each other, and at the same time improve the microclimate of the block and therefore the living comfort. All with ADEPT's trademark bold, streamlined design for a new concept of condominium architecture.

Christiane Bürklein

Project: ADEPT
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Year: 2017
Images: COAST_Studio, R. Hjortshoj