NEWS May 11, 2026
Cirkusbygningen Receives Double Honors at the City of Copenhagen’s 2026 Building Award
The renovation of Cirkusbygningen receives both the award for Best Renovation and the People’s Choice Award at the City of Copenhagen’s 2026 Building Award. The People’s Choice Award (Publikumsprisen) was decided based on a total of 4,574 votes cast.
Since 1903, the City of Copenhagen has recognized architects and clients behind particularly outstanding architecture. Through the City of Copenhagen’s Building Awards, the municipality honors those who have contributed exceptional quality to the city’s built environment.
The jury places emphasis on architecture that is rooted in the distinctive character of its setting and contributes to the experience of Copenhagen as a city defined by high-quality urban environments.
The awards committee writes:
“The restoration of Cirkusbygningen’s façades, foyer, and bars demonstrates a strong understanding of the listed building and its history. We see a skillfully executed and thoroughly considered reinstatement of the color scheme and building elements, with respect for multiple original layers. The project succeeds in weaving these historical layers together into a well-functioning whole, where the individual rooms and the connections between them are in harmony.
The ambitious collaboration between the architect, the client, and Verner Panton’s heirs on the selection of colors and the interior design has resulted in finely balanced spaces with a meticulous and precise color scheme, fully realized in the spirit of Verner Panton.”
The listed Cirkusbygningen, dating from 1886, holds significant cultural and historical importance for Copenhagen through its location, history, and architecture. With its historicist façade, round-arched openings, and rich ornamentation, the building bears witness not only to its own history, but also to the development of the Vesterbro district as an entertainment area in the late 19th century.
We extend our sincere thanks to the jury for selecting a project that demonstrates how listed buildings can be reactivated and remain relevant for future generations.
Thank you to Balder Danmark, Wallmans, and Cirkusbygningen — and, not least, to the entire project team for the excellent collaboration and high level of expertise:
Verner Panton Design AG, Kt.COLOR, Norconsult, Lightscapes, Københavns Konservator, Akantus Stenkonservering, and KBS Byg.
The exterior restoration was carried out with careful attention to the building’s original architectural expression from the reconstruction after the fire in 1914. The façade sections have been restored, and molded bricks have been replaced. The distinctive racing frieze has also been restored.
Photo: Adam Mørk
Verner Panton originally designed the vestibule in green, but over the years it had turned purple, and Panton’s lighting composition with pendant lamps had been removed. Now, the 28 pendants have been reinstated in relation to the original ceiling outlets, and the space is once again a vibrant green.
Photo: Adam Mørk, All copyright to © Verner Panton Design AG
Verner Panton chose red for the central foyer. Since 1984, the red tone had gradually changed, becoming cold and muddy over time. In collaboration with Verner Panton Design AG and kt.COLOR, we have recreated the warm, clear reds. The beautiful continuous Øland stone floor dates back to the 1914 reconstruction. It had been hidden beneath carpet for around 20 years, but has now been uncovered and carefully restored.
Photo: Adam Mørk, All copyright to © Verner Panton Design AG
The color universe of the purple foyer extends toward blue in the color scheme of the columns. The foyer ceilings are painted in a lighter shade of the room’s color, acting as reflectors for the upward-facing Panton fixtures on the columns, which Verner Panton designed specifically for the Circus Building.
Photo: Adam Mørk, All copyright to © Verner Panton Design AG
The orange foyer adjoins the red central foyer. Verner Panton’s color scheme is based on the color wheel, where red and orange sit side by side. The columns are painted in shades of yellow, continuing the progression of the color wheel. The glossy black bar is a contemporary interpretation of the bars Verner Panton designed in 1983.
Photo: Adam Mørk, All copyright to © Verner Panton Design AG
The green vestibule and the red central foyer follow Verner Panton’s original color scheme. The meeting of the color wheel’s complementary colors, red and green, creates optimal visual stimulation. The large formation of red Spiral chandeliers is part of the new interior design project.
Photo: Adam Mørk, All copyright to © Verner Panton Design AG
Photo: Adam Mørk
The façade sections have been restored, and molded bricks have been replaced.
Photo: Adam Mørk
The distinctive racing frieze and the entrance doors from 1938 have been restored. The round-arched window has been recreated in a version that brings together the different eras represented in the façade today.
Photo: Adam Mørk