Finally we got the chance to go on a study trip again! Two days of architectural inspiration and collegial fun around Denmark.
We have a driver...
Normally, KHR goes on a study trip at least once a year, but since the trip to Mexico in November 2019, Corona has put a stop to the travel. All the more, it was a pleasure to fill an entire "Jyttes bus" with good colleagues to see and discuss new architecture, quiz on a little bit of everything and toast to sunset at the Wadden Sea.
Aarhus Ø
There were mixed opinions about the architecture and not least the overall development on Aarhus Ø, but the new Aarhus district certainly provides food for thought on several levels.
School of Architecture in Aarhus
Reportedly, there are up to several daily tours at the new School of Architecture in Aarhus, and we definitely thought the school was worth a visit! The combination of the new, raw structure and the warmer elements of wood and furnishings from the school's previous premises, create a functional and pleasant setting for training the next generation of architects.
The study village in Viby
Architects Lenschow & Pihlmann have used a listed farm from 1677 to create a student village on the outskirts of Aarhus with 56 small, well-used one-bedroom apartments and a community centre right on the edge of both town and nature.
It was a pleasure to be shown around by a committed developer who was very focused on developing a good environment for residents and taking lessons learned to new projects.
The canonry in Ribe
The sun was shining from a cloudless autumn sky when we arrived at Kannikegården. Tranberg & Lundgaard have designed the combined church building and museum next to Ribe Cathedral on the site where Denmark's first cemetery and oldest brick building probably stood. A beautiful and raw building in concrete, steel, glass and brick.
The Wadden Sea Centre - on the edge of Denmark's largest national park
Dorte Mandrup has created an exhibition building that blends in with the unique nature that surrounds it. We learned about the Wadden Sea as a hub for birds of all kinds, and about the techniques used in the sophisticated roof and wall cladding of the Wadden Sea Centre.
Sunset over the Wadden Sea on a cloudless autumn evening
The architectural sightseeing of the day was rounded off with prosecco and a cosy time in the unique marsh landscape, while the sun disappeared into the Wadden Sea. What a day!
Fiberline - land art at Middelfart
After a good evening at Krybily Kro near Kolding, the bus headed east again, where we had a quick look at a striking piece of KHR architecture. The domicile of the production company Fiberline is designed to blend beautifully into the landscape and almost become "land art", which can be seen from the motorway around Middelfart.
New Sund - building a bridge between SDU and OUH
Then it was time to fasten the safety helmet and visit the construction site of the new Faculty of Health, designed by KHR. The building connects the new OUH and SDU, so that education, research and practice have an optimal framework for cooperation and knowledge sharing. Sad to see what austerity measures have done to the aesthetic experience of OUH.
Fortunately, the New Sound not suffered the same fate, and the building will play beautifully with the existing SDUwhich KHR designed 50 years ago.
A house in H.C. Andersen's spirit
The last stop was a tour of the new H.C. Andersen House, which has barely opened. The Japanese architect Kengo Kuma had the ambition to create a house that not only tells the story of the author and his adventures, but invites visitors into his universe and invites them to experience and co-create at eye level.
We'll be back when the exhibition is complete to assess how well the mission is succeeding.
