Panoptikonbygningen, Office building in central Copenhagen, Denmark
The Panoptikonbygningen is an office building with 12 stories rising 35 meters near Copenhagen Central Station in the city center. Its facade combines glass with wooden walls supported by freestanding columns.
Construction took place from 1952 to 1954, during which it stood as Denmark's only skyscraper. Its completion marked a turning point in the architectural landscape of post-war Copenhagen.
The building's name references Skandinavisk Panoptikon, Denmark's first wax museum that welcomed visitors from 1885 until fire destroyed it in 1950. Today the structure carries that historical identity forward, connecting the site to its role as a once-popular public attraction.
The building sits at Vesterbrogade 5 and functions as the headquarters of Arbejdernes Landsbank, a financial company where visitors typically do not enter the interior. The location is easily accessible and well-connected by public transport since it stands next to the main railway station.
The gable facing Vesterbrogade features distinctive cladding made of folk marble, a special composite of reinforced concrete cast in white cement. This material choice gives the building its recognizable surface treatment.
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