Architectural competition

Background
In 1870, the Nationalbank moved its headquarters from Slotsholmen to Holmen’s Canal, into a building designed for the purpose by the architect J. D. Herholdt. Despite several subsequent expansions, after the Second World War the building was simply not large enough and major expansion was deemed necessary. It was considered crucial in light of the bank’s function to keep it near the central administration of the government, and thus the decision was made to incorporate the rest of the city block as the site for a new building.

The competition
In 1961, the Nationalbank held a closed architectural competition and invited several of the leading architects of the day to enter. The competition was intended to provide a solution to how the Nationalbank’s existing complex of buildings could be replaced by one new building that would unify the various functions of the bank. The location of the printing works and the possibility to build and take occupancy in stages were important points on the competition programme. The Nationalbank also emphasized its desire for the design of the proposals to show special consideration for the bank’s prominent and central location near Slotsholmen, with the old stock exchange, government buildings, Christiansborg (the seat of parliament) and Holmen’s Church as neighbours. These surroundings made a harmonious adaptation important.

The winning project
A majority of the jury found architect Arne Jacobsen’s proposal the best of the five projects submitted, and the only one that fully satisfied the bank’s requirements. The placement of the printing works in the first stage of construction and its function in the fully completed complex were considered excellent. Comments from the jury emphasized that the architectural idea and design of the proposal overall were successful. The committee found it valuable that the heavy concentration of functions in the double wing facing the street, Niels Juels Gade, not only had advantages in terms of interior design, but also made it possible for a considerable part of the complex closest to Holmen’s Church to be built as a very low structure, thus showing the desired consideration to the church, the old stock exchange and Christiansborg Palace. Arne Jacobsen had unsentimentally chosen to tear down Herholdt’s old bank building, thus creating new beauty in the interplay between the old, valuable architectural monuments in the area and the nearby open waterfront and canal environment. The project, which was the smallest of the five proposals, showed further that it was possible to meet the requirements of the competition programme with a floor-space ratio considerably smaller than that allowed by local planning restrictions.