Bella Sky

The result of an international architectural competition, the winning design for the Bella Sky Hotel is a new landmark for the Ørestad neighbourhood, one of Copenhagen’s new urban areas. With its 814 rooms Bella Sky Hotel is the largest hotel in the Nordic region. The hotel fully meets the accommodation needs of Scandinavia’s largest convention center and allows the Bella Convention Center to attract larger international events than ever before. Situated a short distance from the city center, the hotel is visible from various locations such as the city center and the airport, and has already generated a huge amount of interest both from citizens and visitors of Copenhagen. The two towers are striking – and appear in different form depending on which angle one sees them from. Standing next to each other as a pair and seeming a little shy, the two 75 meter towers lean out from a common base at a staggering 15 degree incline. This allows for nearly all rooms to have views over the neighbouring nature preserve, the city center and the new urban area of Ørestad. In addition the top 10 stories shift horizontally, and the bottom 14 stories have a further horizontal displacement. To erect this landmark structure required innovative engineering and a unique counterweight design in concrete and not steel. The forces in play at Bella Sky are enormous – and a number of different options were explored to rethink and reengineer all standard details to reflect the complex geometry and g-forces. Special newly developed software has been implemented to create digital 3D models of all elements of the building to make sure the structures can withstand the enormous pressure from the leaning towers. The facade is designed to reflect the angled movement of the building and underline the urban pulse – as one of the key objectives to the tower is to attract non-hotel guests as well to this new anchor in the Ørestad neighbourhood. This innovative façade resulted in a number of construction challenges, requiring a team of specialized ‘rappellers’ to assemble the puzzle of pre-fabricated aluminum elements. Inside the building there has also been worked on innovative features such as uniquely designed acoustics panels for the conference facilities, LED lamp installations in the foyer area and 200 different combinations of architectural design in the individually decorated hotel rooms to create a personal hotel experience. The two towers offer an array of facilities accommodating 814 rooms, 32 conference rooms, 3 restaurants, lounge, a sky bar, a 850 m2 wellness centre, and a sky bridge on the 25th floor. Designed with the theme ‘Nordic Cool’, the interior is carefully selected and inspired by the Scandinavian design tradition that is known internationally for high quality, a clear Nordic identity and natural materials. The combination of Danish furniture classics from mid-century modern architect Finn Juhl and modern interior design gives the hotel a unique luxurious feel. Because of the complex architecture, hotel guests will find more than 200 types of rooms, which contribute to creating an individual, exclusive and warm atmosphere. This also facilitates new hotel experiences again and again. The warm and and inviting ambience of the interior design creates a balanced contrast to the edgy and cool expression of the building's exterior. This adds an interesting duality to the overall expression of the hotel.