Amalienborg

Amalienborg Castle

Amalienborg Castle was built in 1749 and is a masterpiece of Danish architecture, probably the finest piece of Rococo architecture in Denmark and perhaps one of the finest examples in Europe. Amalienborg Castle has been the main residence of the Danish Royal family since 1794. The castle consists of four almost identical mansions that surround an octagonal square and is centrally located in Frederiksstaden, the new district built by King Frederik the Fifth.

Together with a team of architects, engineers and skilled craftsmen, Jens Aaberg was Project Manager in a very successful total restoration of all the castle’s annexes in the years 2006-2011.
Like the rest of the local district, Amalienborg Castle was built on oak piles. As the water level falls in the area, and the piles are therefore no longer in an oxygen-poor environment, all load-bearing walls, inside and out, had to be supported with concrete piles. At the same time, the deck and roof construction with up to 97% rotten beams and rafters was repaired, roofs were newly laid with a hard under roof, and all the buildings’ surfaces including suspended canvas on the walls and solid plank floors, were renewed. Along the way, many exciting archaeological finds were made, including original water pipes of hollowed out tree trunks, a large number of shoes and other things from 18th century Copenhagen.

The construction case lasted five years and involved five side buildings, including parts of the Crown Prince’s residence, the premises of the Royal Lifeguards, as well as garages, offices, service residences, horse stables, etc., all of which serve the castle. The work was completed before planned, at a price below budget and everything done at a very high professional standard.

The entire construction case took place in close collaboration with the Palaces and the Danish Agency for Culture, which must approve all construction cases on listed buildings. All the materials were of course expected to correspond, as closely as possible, to the original materials that had been used back in 1749 during the construction of the buildings, ie. lime-plastered exterior masonry walls, windows painted with linseed oil, rafter joints, hand-forged fittings, etc. At the same time, everything was built to live up to today’s technical and safety requirements.

Brief:
Comprehensive restoration of large parts of Amalienborg Castle.
The works included casting of all load-bearing exterior and interior walls, replacement of large parts of the roof structure due to rot and mould, and reconstruction of all the building parts that had to be removed in order to carry out the restoration.

Client:
The Palaces and Properties Agency
(now the Danish Agency for Castles and Cultural Properties)

Completed:
2006-2011

Parties to the construction contract:
The Palaces and Properties Agency
Erik Møller Arkitekter
Troelsgaard Rådgivende Ingeniører
Hans Grønlund, EL-ingeniør