Project

PMV 7

Having been neglected for half a century, this house has been reconfigurated internally to house a growing family and carefully restored externally to correspond with the family of historic houses in the street.

Tucked away on a quiet street behind Frederiksberg Town Hall and Frederiksberg Have in central Copenhagen the house sits quietly reminiscing its suburban time.

Close-up of a residential house roof with two dormer windows, gray slate shingles, and some young trees in front.

Built by a carpenter in 1912 the house is one of a series of historic houses on the street. The house is typical for its time with solid exposed brick walls, pitched slate roof and detailed woodwork - details referring to previous historical periods in Denmark.

In 1962 engineer, doctor and psychologist Steen Ahrenkiel bought the house. He transformed the house to a living laboratory, experimenting with genetic modification of plants and collecting rare mineral stones in the basement, especially cryolite from Greenland. A particular atmosphere flourished but original windows, doors, stairs and kitchen were simultaneously replaced with low quality replacements and the house was later left to decay. When the new owners took over the house in 2022 it was overgrown and completely cluttered. Even though Steen had died, stories about him remained alive in the area. 

The house was in poor condition, so we renovated the slate roof with a climate-friendly build up using wood-fiber insulation, exchanged the windows to imitate the originals, and restored the facade's brick work. Internally we wanted to bring back some of the historical atmosphere while adding new layers suiting the modern family living there now. 

Entering the house we added Cryolit in the terrazzo flooring as a tribute to the former owner. 

A new staircase was placed in the middle of the plan to create a social space connecting the floors and drawing in skylight. New doors were set at an angle to create views across the house, creating visual connections making the house feel fluid, social and dynamic.

In the extension towards the north where Steen Arhrenkiel experimented with genetic modification of plants, we emphasized the connection to the past and to the garden, expanding the room and adding a green door and windows opening towards the garden.

Year
2025

Size
250m2

Location
Copenhagen

Photos
Peter Dalsgaard

Illustrations
Fruergaard Kampmann

Client
Private

Front of a modern house with a brick exterior, large black-framed windows, and a well-maintained garden with shrubs and a paved walkway.
Modern kitchen with white cabinets, wooden door, wooden flooring, stainless steel sink, and minimal lighting fixtures.
A bright kitchen with white cabinets, open wooden shelves with dishes and a teapot, a vase with flowers, and a kettle on the wooden countertop. An open door reveals a room with a window and green plants.
A view through an open doorway showing a room with a large window with a grid pattern, a hanging light fixture, and a wall-mounted radiator, with trees visible outside.
Interior view of a hallway with white walls, wooden floors, and multiple doors, some slightly visible, with a small section of a staircase on the left.
A multi-level metal outdoor staircase with intricate geometric cutouts, situated next to a brick walkway and bordered by green plants and dark soil.
Empty room with white walls, gray ceiling, light-colored wood floor, and a small section of speckled carpet with colored borders.
Wooden stairs with a white decorative railing featuring cut-out hexagonal shapes, seen from below with the wall behind.
View of a wooden door with a silver door handle and lock, showing the door partially open, revealing a light-colored wall inside.
An open door in a white wall with ornate crown molding, revealing a carpeted hallway and hardwood floor.
Interior of a dining room with a wooden table and black chairs, a chandelier, and a view into a living room with a beige sofa and a picture on the wall.
Interior view of a room featuring a staircase with green railing, a colorful wallpaper with animals and nature motifs, a wooden shelf with plush toys and toys, and a light-colored wooden floor.
Minimalist bathroom with white walls, wooden ceiling beams, a bathtub in the bottom left corner, a wooden bench in the center, and track lighting on the ceiling.
Brick stairs and brick wall in an outdoor setting, with a ground composed of similar bricks. A metallic outdoor light fixture attached to the wall near the bottom right corner.
A residential house with a gray roof, black window frames, and a brick chimney, surrounded by green trees and bushes, situated behind a black metal fence on a sidewalk.
A house with a slate roof and dormer windows, surrounded by trees and purple flowering bushes under a clear blue sky.
Exterior view of a modern house with a brick facade, large windows with black frames, metal staircase, and lush green garden with bushes and small plants
Interior hallway with wooden floors, a staircase with wooden handrail, and an open door leading to a room with a window showing greenery outside.
Empty white closet with drawers in a room with gray carpet, white walls, and a green ceiling, with track lighting on the ceiling.
Interior of a room with light beige walls, a blue wooden door, and two vertical blue wooden pillars with beadboard paneling, ambient lighting from ceiling-mounted track lights.
A pile of various colored bricks stacked on a sidewalk near a brick and cement wall, with an outdoor wall lantern and electrical wire attached.
Colorful hand-drawn map with various rectangular and irregular shapes outlined in different colors, some filled with solid color, displayed on a white background.
Photo of a brick residential building with a window, a garden with bushes and trees, and a black metal fence in front. The building has a sloped roof with a gutter system.
Close-up of a white textured cabinet door with a small gap, set against terrazzo flooring with white and black speckled pattern.
Close-up of a rough, white, crystalline mineral or ice on a dark background
A detailed architectural floor plan of a building with multiple rooms, measurements, and technical annotations.
A detailed architectural drawing or plan of a house elevation showing rooflines, windows, doorways, and construction details with measurements and annotations.