exploring 23 novozymes 25 fantastic industries

SEe WWW.25FANTASTISKE.DK On the border between Nørrebro and stands a modernistic industrial complex, called ’Arne Jacobsen’s white factory’, where much of the Novo and Novozymes story was written. Since it was established in 1925, Novo has been a world leader in its field – the biochemical industry. Knowledge-intensive, and more laboratory than factory in the conventional sense, the business had more white-collar than blue-collar employees from the outset. Now a relic of the past, the white factory has undergone many changes over time. Today, the site exclusively manufactures enzymes.

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Architecture floor where insulin was produced. The first floor contained -offi Insulin and enzymes What was originally named ’Novo Therapeutic Laboratory’ ces, a library and laboratories. From the 1940s, the basement In the 1920s, the increased knowledge of chemical proces-­ established its industrial insulin production initially in a disused was fitted out for enzyme production. The factory from 1935 is ses enabled new medicines to be produced synthetically or dairy, and later moved into Arne Jacobsen’s modernistic buil- strongly reminiscent of other Jacobsen works of that time such extracted from the organs and tissue of various animals and ding. Arne Jacobsen, one of ’s most successful as the Bellevue theatre and the Bellavista apartment complex. plants. After Canadian experiments showed that insulin could architects and designers, was Novo Nordisk’s resident The white buildings, in concrete, steel and glass with their be extracted from animal pancreases, the Nobel Laureate architect for more than three decades, from 1932 until his smooth surfaces and open layout are regarded by many as physiologist August Krogh managed to obtain the production death in 1971. Jacobsen produced ’total design’, that is, he representing the advent of modern architecture to Denmark. rights to insulin in Scandinavia in 1922. Soon after, a number designed everything from buildings to furniture, and the style of companies set up in production, including what was to was functionalism, which was a reaction to historicism, an 03 Modular factory become Novo. In 1941, Novo researchers discovered that architectural movement (1850-1910) that imitated the styles In the 1960s, Arne Jacobsen became taken up with modular enzymes could be extracted from the by-products of insulin of earlier eras. building designs based on the principles of addition in which a production, and that they could be used for industrial purposes. series of identical units can be repeated infinitely. The fermen- Today, Novozymes is a world leader in the development and 01 Fuglebakken factory tation and recovery factory was built in 1968 to his drawings. production of genetically engineered enzymes for use in e.g. In the early 1920s, the founders of Novo, the brothers Harald Unlike the other buildings, this looks more like a factory: large food, textiles and detergents. Today, the plant on Hillerødgade and Thorvald Pedersen, started extracting insulin at Harald’s and angular with round pipes projecting from the building front. exclusively produces enzymes. home on Fuglebakkevej in Frederiksberg. When space became The clean lines reflect the client’s functional requirements for cramped, they leased a converted dairy building on what is cleanliness and efficiency. Besides the production plant, the now Nordre , and started their insulin production here premises include various facilities such as workshops, the RELATED SITES: in 1932. The Fuglebakken factory was named after the road analysis and research laboratories, canteens etc. As new on which it had all started. needs have arisen, the factory has undergone many extensions Museum of Copenhagen Novozymes over the years, both around the original buildings, but also on Vesterbrogade 59 www.novozymes.com 02 The modernistic factory the opposite side of Hillerødgade. 1620 Copenhagen V In 1935, Arne Jacobsen designed this three-storey building www.copenhagen.dk Novo Nordisk facing Nordre Fasanvej, as an extension to the former dairy www.novonordisk.dk premises. The employees nicknamed the extension ’the tram’ because of its oblong shape and round window on the ground