Ingenious Architecture of Floating Dorms Helps Solve Copenhagen’s Student Housing Problem

In Copenhagen, Denmark there is a growing need for student housing. One architecture firm, the Bjarke Ingels Group, decided to take on the challenge of helping to solve this problem. The company has built Urban Rigger, an assemblage of shipping containers that have been converted to floating dormitories.

Since its construction, Urban Rigger, located at the Copenhagen harbor, has been home to a number of students. The configuration of the ingenious structure has nine shipping containers stacked around a central winter garden. Urban Rigger offers over 3,200 square feet of living space, as well as an arresting water view.

Urban Rigger is one architecture firm’s solution to Copenhagen’s student housing problem.

According to the project description:

“Copenhagen’s harbor remains an underutilized and underdeveloped area at the heart of the city.

“The housing is also buoyant like a boat so that can be replicated in other harbor cities where affordable housing is needed but space is limited.”

The structure is made primarily of shipping containers turned into dorm houses.

The students residing at Urban Rigger have private bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchens, plus shared living spaces that have a kayak landing, a bathing platform, a barbecue area, a communal roof terrace, and a below-sea-level basement for laundry and storage.

Students have private bedrooms as well as shared spaces.

Urban Rigger was not created to fully address the Danish capital’s need for student housing, but the architects of the project hope their patented concept can help bring viable, affordable, and C02-neutral student housing to the underused port areas in different parts of the world.

Urban Rigger has a hip and modern design that’s fit for its young residents.

There are open spaces where the students can relax and enjoy the view.

We don’t know about you, but Urban Rigger seems like a cool and innovative idea to us.