Urban Rigger

What Urban Rigger does

Urban Rigger is a Copenhagen-based real estate company that designs, builds, and operates floating modular housing constructed primarily from upcycled shipping containers. Its flagship site at Refshaleøen in Copenhagen's harbor comprises six floating units delivering 72 apartments, housing approximately 100 residents. The product was designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), which holds an estimated 10% equity stake in the company, anchoring the project in a globally recognized architecture brand and providing defensible design IP, including a patent on the floating architecture concept.

The underlying technology is a standardized, factory-built modular construction system using ISO shipping containers as the structural shell, integrated with partner-supplied cleantech and building systems from Grundfos, Danfoss, Hanwha Q CELLS, Miele, BoConcept, and engineering from NIRAS. This stack makes each unit simultaneously a residence and a live product showcase for the partner ecosystem. The company holds a patent on its floating architecture design, and asset management is led by a small internal team (1-10 employees) under CEO Claus Bindslev, with Mathias Linder as Asset Manager.

Urban Rigger's business model is a direct-to-tenant monthly subscription rental, bypassing traditional real estate intermediaries. Pricing starts at DKK 8,774 per month for students, with the company explicitly targeting two customer segments: university students and seniors aged 50+. Revenue is generated solely from residential rent on the Copenhagen asset base; no licensing income, platform fees, or secondary revenue streams are disclosed. The company is privately held, founded circa 2013-2016, with an original founder (Kim Loudrup) no longer involved, and discloses intent to expand at Refshaleøen into a larger micro-district and to operate in Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, the USA, Canada, and India.

Name

Urban Rigger

Legal name

Urban Rigger ApS

Website

https://urbanrigger.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Urban Rigger designs, builds, and operates floating modular housing made from upcycled shipping containers in Copenhagen's harbor, renting 72 apartments on a monthly subscription basis to students and seniors aged 50+.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Floating Modular Residential Real Estate

NAICS

Rooming and Boarding Houses, Dormitories, and Workers' Camps (72131)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513)

akta.pro primary industry

Houseboats & Floating Stays (THAMADAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Urban serviced apartments (city-centre) (THAMACAA)

Keywords

• Floating modular housing
• Container-based apartments
• Student rental housing
• Waterfront residential real estate
• Sustainable urban housing

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Apartment Rental: Urban Rigger generates revenue through monthly rental payments from tenants in their floating apartment units. Each unit contains 12 apartments across two levels. Rental prices vary by apartment size (23 sqm vs 30 sqm), floor level, and view. Student pricing offers approximately 20% reduction compared to standard rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Urban Rigger designs, constructs, and rents modular floating apartment units built from upcycled shipping containers stacked on a hexagonal concrete pontoon. Each unit delivers 12 studio residences (9 studios of 23 m² and 3 apartments of 30 m²) plus approximately 240 m² of shared community space including courtyard, rooftop terrace, basement kitchen, lounge, and laundry. The company offers these apartments on monthly rentals in Copenhagen's Refshaleøen harbor, primarily to students and people aged 50+, with all-inclusive utilities and fiber internet.

Product overview

Urban Rigger is a modular floating housing platform consisting of floating apartment units designed by BIG|Bjarke Ingels Group. Each unit comprises 9 repurposed shipping containers arranged in a circle on a concrete pontoon, creating 12 studio residences (9 at 23 m² and 3 at 30 m²) plus approximately 240 m² of shared community spaces including courtyard, rooftop terrace, and basement with kitchen, lounge, and laundry facilities. The portfolio includes Apartment Type 1 (23 m² first-floor studios), Apartment Type 2 (30 m² ground-floor apartments with balconies), and lifestyle sub-brands (Connected Living, Conscious Living, Comfortable Living). Urban Rigger also offers virtual apartment tours and operates a rental housing service in Copenhagen with a waiting list application process.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Urban Rigger Floating Housing Units Modular floating apartment complexes in Copenhagen's Refshaleøen harbor designed by Bjarke Ingels Group; each unit is built from 9 upcycled shipping containers arranged in a circle on a hexagonal concrete pontoon, providing 12 studio residences (9 at 23 m² and 3 at 30 m²) plus ~240 m² of shared courtyard, rooftop terrace, basement kitchen/lounge, and laundry. Currently 6 units with 72 apartments operating, with 2024 expansion to a new micro district and capacity to manufacture ~100 units per year from a Poland shipyard.
• 23 m² Studio Apartment Rental First-floor square studio apartment with large windows and sliding patio door opening to the water; includes private kitchen, private bathroom, and floor heating. Unfurnished rental accommodation targeted at students and seniors in Copenhagen, all-inclusive of water, heat, electricity, and fiber internet.
• 30 m² Container Apartment Rental Ground-floor apartment with private balcony and direct water access; includes possibility of separate bedroom, private kitchen, private bathroom, and floor heating. Unfurnished rental accommodation that accommodates two people, all-inclusive of utilities and fiber internet.
• Investor Partnership Programs for Floating Real Estate Projects Tailor-made investment models offered to private investors, investor groups, and institutional investors interested in replicating the floating modular housing concept in new harbor cities. Includes project development partnerships for water-based real estate.

Quantifiable outcome

• 34% lower energy consumption compared to neighbors on land
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld-renowned Copenhagen-based architecture firm founded by Bjarke Ingels. BIG designed the Urban Rigger concept and architecture. They own a 10% stake in Urban Rigger. The design emerged from BIG's analysis of contemporary urban life and how floating architecture can address housing challenges in harbor cities.
• GrundfoscoreTechnology or IntegrationDanish world-renowned entrepreneurial company regarding pump solutions and water technology. Grundfos equipped Urban Rigger with innovative pump technology using seawater as a natural source of heating. The company views Urban Rigger as an excellent testbed for developing housing solutions for the future.
• DanfosscoreTechnology or IntegrationLeading international group in research, production and development of mechanical and electronic components and system solutions. Danfoss technologies play a key role in generating heating and cooling, ensuring climate comfort and keeping energy use to a minimum on the Urban Rigger.
• BoConceptminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanish furniture company that collaborated on interior design and furnishings for Urban Rigger apartments. Furniture includes space-saving designs like the Billund table. Common area sofas made of recycled polyester align with sustainability goals.
• Hanwha Q CELLScoreTechnology or IntegrationSolar panel supplier providing photovoltaic systems for Urban Rigger rooftops. Energy from solar panels powers heat pumps and distributes electricity to residents.
• NIRASminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsulting firm listed as a collaborator on the Urban Rigger project, providing planning and development expertise.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sonder: Tech-enabled serviced apartment operator offering short- and medium-stay urban rentals with consistent design and all-inclusive pricing. Comparable to Urban Rigger in monthly recurring urban rental model with utilities bundled.
• Yugo: Global student housing operator offering purpose-built accommodation across multiple countries. Comparable to Urban Rigger's primary student-housing tenant base and recurring monthly revenue model.
• CityHub: Operator of compact, design-led urban hotel pods targeted at younger travelers in major European cities. Comparable to Urban Rigger's small-format, design-forward urban rental model with shared community spaces.

Regional players

• Domain Cité / IRO: French-based developer of floating housing and floating neighborhood projects in Paris and Île-de-France. Comparable to Urban Rigger's floating residential concept in a different European geography with similar urban waterfront opportunity.

Emerging players

• Amber: Global student housing marketplace aggregating verified listings across cities. Comparable to Urban Rigger's targeting of international university students in Copenhagen and use of digital application flow.
• Plant Prefab: US sustainable modular home manufacturer focused on factory-built, low-carbon housing. Comparable to Urban Rigger in the sustainability-led, factory-produced housing positioning.
• Boxabl: US-based manufacturer of factory-built foldable modular homes using container-style construction. Comparable to Urban Rigger in container-based modular construction philosophy aimed at affordable urban housing.
• Dura Vermeer + Floating: Dutch construction company that has built floating residential projects in Amsterdam and IJburg. Comparable to Urban Rigger in deploying modular floating housing for urban densification, though at larger traditional construction scale.

Direct peers

• Waterstudio.nl: Dutch floating-architecture firm designing waterborne residential and hospitality projects across Europe and Asia. Most directly comparable peer to Urban Rigger's floating modular housing concept, with a comparable modular/floating product philosophy.
• Floating Homes Ltd: Developer of permanent and semi-permanent floating homes in the Netherlands. Comparable because it sells/leases floating residential units on water using modular construction, serving similar urban waterfront housing demand.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/urbanrigger
• Xx.com/urbanrigger
• Facebookfacebook.com/urbanrigger
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urban-rigger-aps

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Urban Rigger