[5] Dokk1 houses the Aarhus Main Library, the municipal public services department, theater scenes, businesses and a large automated underground parking facility.

[7] The neo-futuristic building is designed as a heptagonal metal disc floating above a glass prism which rests on a bed of wide irregular staircases to all sides.

The metal disc holds offices and administration while the glass prism houses the public library, designed to be transparent to all sides and making all activities within visible from the outside, while providing a view across the harbour, bay, forest and city from within.

Among the many initiatives, a 2,432 m2 (26,180 sq ft) solar panel has been added to the roof, seawater is used as a coolant for both excessive heat and ventilation and LED lights are used extensively.

Invented by the Berlin-based art-cooperative Elmgreen & Dragset, Magic Mushrooms consists of a 300 m2 (3,200 sq ft) downscaled 1:100 model of an imaginary city, turned upside down.

[14] The climate of Denmark includes long periods of sustained wind and rain, which requires special materials and construction techniques.

In June 2016, it was reported that the 6,400 m2 (69,000 sq ft) of MgO boards, used as wind-barriers behind the building's outward facade, had absorbed water, causing rust and material damage.

Workers began changing the plates in September 2016, but the financial aspects of the case has not been settled yet; tax payers will likely foot the bill for the repairs.

[6][19][20] The library is split across two levels containing various departments such as literary fiction, professional literature, magazines, newspapers, media, exhibitions, a café area, several lounges and a section for children of different ages.

The tool kit development was financially supported by the Global Libraries program, a branch of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The north harbor is being developed into the predominantly residential Aarhus Ø neighborhood, while the central stretch of waterfront along the Indre By neighborhood is developed into public and recreational spaces currently referred to as De Bynære Havnearealer (The Peri-urban Harbour-areas) under the project "Urban Mediaspace Aarhus", or simply Urban Mediaspace.