The University of Southern Denmark in Odense is architecturally built on a principle of consistent integration of the central functions with the various departmental areas. Although the University of Southern Denmark was built in the early 1970s, it still has a high level of quality, both functionally and architecturally, and a beautifully patinated facade in Corten steel.
Odense
Denmark
Ministry of Education
1973
New building sections in harmony with the original architecture
The newest building sections for the University of Southern Denmark were constructed in the period 1993-96. The new buildings add a number of new variations in both the exterior and interior as a natural consequence of the development and the experience the University has gained through the use of the existing buildings.
Yet there is a clear architectural link with the original building, which blends structurally into the landscape with its distinctive surfaces of beautiful concrete and Corten steel.
"The University of Southern Denmark is probably the ultimate structuralist project and one of the architectural references on which KHR as a design studio is based. It shows how far-sighted, internationally inspired and courageous Knud Holscher was in his architecture."
Jan Søndergaard, Professor and Architect
Contact
Consistent integration as the common thread on a large campus
The main layout is based on the competition project's principle of consistent integration of the central functions with the various departmental areas. The overall building structure is one large urbanised corpus with flexible outer boundaries and with internal connections between all functional areas. A key feature is the free-standing and terrain-adapted location of the building in the wooded part of the large area reserved for the university and any associated institutions.
