Copenhagen’s Paper Island is preparing to welcome a new destination for swimming, wellness and cultural activities. Designed by Kengo Kuma and Associates, KAI – Water Culture House is scheduled to open on 5 December 2026, introducing a waterfront complex where monumental brick structures meet expansive glazing and views across the city’s harbour.
Five towers clad in approximately 300,000 handmade bricks define the building’s exterior. Rising above a transparent glass base, their substantial forms appear suspended over the water, while the glazed lower level maintains a visual connection between the interior and the surrounding harbour. Across the façades, 403 windows bring daylight into the complex and frame shifting views of Copenhagen’s waterfront.
Spanning 5,800 square metres, the development houses ten indoor and outdoor pools, establishing swimming as the centre of a wider programme dedicated to leisure and wellbeing. Among its features is the Valley Pool, positioned in the space between the five towers and designed for year-round use. Another highlight is an onsen-inspired pool maintained at 36°C, where visitors can soak while looking out towards the harbour.
The architecture draws attention to the relationship between solid materials, natural light and the movement of water. Handmade brick gives the towers a tactile, crafted surface, while the transparent ground level opens the building towards its surroundings. The arrangement of the volumes also shapes the spaces between them, allowing the architecture to influence the experience of moving through the complex.
KAI – Water Culture House emerged from an international competition launched by the City of Copenhagen in 2017. Its development adds a new public destination to Paper Island, an area undergoing a wider transformation along the harbour. With its combination of aquatic facilities, wellness spaces and a distinctive architectural composition, the project places water at the centre of a new chapter in Copenhagen’s waterfront life.
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Photo: (c) Rasmus Hjortshøj