SPECTACULAR BUILDING PROJECT IN ÅRHUS

NEWBUILD: An old container terminal centrally located in Denmark’s second largest city Århus is set to become one of Europe’s most fashionable city quarters over the next 3 or 4 years. It will also boast Denmark’s tallest building

Until the end of September 2007 it was a busy container terminal with all that entails: large cranes, slightly shabby warehouses and the occasional weed struggling up through the concrete-clad ground, the whole area ringed with drab fences to keep the curious away from the colourful, but far from romantic containers. And all of it garnished with the constant noise and clatter of forklifts and trucks – sights and sounds familiar in harbour towns throughout the world.

In 3 or 4 years, all this will change. Århus container port, Denmark’s largest, has moved some kilometres away to a new and better location from a traffic perspective. And the old container port is set to become one of Denmark’s most spectacular and modern residential areas, where the interplay between the sea, city and waterfront has been built into the plan from the start.

The project in Århus has attracted international attention not only because of its architectural qualities, but also because the project’s approach to port renovation and city planning is seen as groundbreaking.

Denmark’s tallest
Furthermore, the new development will sport Denmark’s tallest building, which will stand at the southern tip of the port area. It will be a landmark not just for the new city quarter, but also for Århus as a whole. The tower will be 142 meters tall and have 200 apartments, a restaurant and public access to the view of the Bay of Århus from the top floor of the building.

“142 metres may not sound so impressive seen with international eyes, but in a Danish context it is a very tall building,” says Morten Langbjerg, director of the property company Frederiksbjerg Ejendomme in Århus. The company has joined forces with the local department of Arbejdernes Andelsboligforening, Boligforeningen Ringgården and Keops Development in the Light*House consortium.

“The tower block is only part of the first stage of the waterfront building project,” says Morten Langbjerg. “The entire project comprises 63,000 square meters of floor space, of which the tower block comprises 20,000 square meters. The rest is buildings of 6-9 floors, including a hotel, offices and residential homes, which will be placed in clusters around open squares and promenades. At street level, there will be small shops and cafés, which will help create a lively environment.” The internationally renowned architects firm 3XN has designed the project together with the Netherlands’ UN Studio and Gehl Architects in Copenhagen, and Grontmij Carl Bro is the consulting engineering firm on the construction. Completion of the building project is scheduled for 2010-2011. When the entire container terminal has been developed, the construction on the waterfront will cover more than 700,000 m2.

http://www.lighthouse.aarhus.com

OVERCOMING RESISTANCE TO TALL BUILDINGS Denmark has never had a tradition for high-rise buildings. A single building in Copenhagen of 102 meters has been the country’s tallest residential building for almost 40 years. “But now it looks as if we have become mature,” says division director Søren Larsen of Grontmij Carl Bro, the consulting engineering firm on the forthcoming construction on Århus waterfront. “And by mature I mean that giving space for more high-rise buildings in Denmark has been well considered and thoroughly reviewed.” According to Søren Larsen it is not technology that has prevented Danes from building high-rise construction. Several Danish architects are currently involved in very tall building projects, for example on the Arabian Peninsula and several places in Europe. The reluctance to build tall buildings in the Danish landscape is more to do with attitudes. “But now a movement has started regarding the architecture of cities, and we will probably see a lot more high-rise buildings in the future,” he says. In Århus there are plans to build two more high-rise buildings in the northern part of the city. In Randers, north of Århus, there are plans for a 90 meter high residential building, and in Horsens there are plans for an 80 meter high building by the harbour. In addition, the capital Copenhagen has considered plans for a 102 meter high hotel by the Tivoli amusement park, and in Ørestad, Copenhagen’s new city district, a number of high-rise buildings will be constructed. Because of its proximity to Copenhagen.