The client, Realdania, is a Danish philanthropic group that supports projects in the built environment. Two of the main tenants at BLOX—the Danish Architecture Centre and BLOXHUB, an innovative office for sustainable development—do the same.

Besides exhibition spaces and offices for those tenants, the building also contains co-working spaces, a multilevel restaurant, a café, bookstore, fitness center, and 22 rental apartments, not to mention a playground. Its setbacks integrate large terraces for taking in waterfront views; its facade combines white fritted glass and a green glass that matches the deep green of the water, as well as panels of woven metal.

Inside is an arresting mix of dark concrete, black cork, warm wood, cool metal grating, smooth aluminum, and polished brass floors and walls (in what OMA calls the “golden room”). The interiors are arranged somewhat like a panopticon, where the central gallery offers glimpses into the rooms that surround it and vice versa. Similar views across stairwells and atria and through offices connect most spaces. “There's a lot of creative talent in this building,” says van Loon. “Seeing each other leads to collaborating.”