The House of the Danish Industry Foundation (2011)
Schmidt Hammer Lassen - SHL
Facts:
Arkitect
schmidt hammer lassen architects
Client
Industriens Fond
Area
7.990 m2
Construction sum
€ 11 million excl. VAT
Competition
2011, invited international competition
Status
Competition proposal
Landscape Architect
schmidt hammer lassen architects
Description:
”We can study until old age and still not finish learning.”
(Chinese proverb)
The creation of a Danish university building in China as a beacon for Danish architecture, research and technology is an example of how respect, openness and quality expressed by architecture can contribute to cultural understanding and exchange. The building is designed as a meeting place for a diversity of cultures, users, and functions and it expresses this interaction through a simple yet dynamic architecture.
The 8000 m² Danish university building is situated on a newly established university campus outside central Beijing. The red brick of the building’s exterior gives kinship to the rest of the campus while large glazed facades and green terraces provide poetic contrast and character.
The idea behind the design of the building is simple but creates an informal architecture full of expression and tension. Like bricks in production are stacked by twisting each layer to stabilize the pile, boxes are stacked with spaces in between each level, creating an atrium building with a maximum of contact and synergy between the functions. On the outside, the rotation of boxes creates a row of green terraces or shelves to enjoy at leisure. The stack of boxes is slightly tilted towards the south and west to provide solar shading on the facade facing in those directions.
The building is organized in order for the more public functions to greet the visitor on the ground level and to turn increasingly private as you ascend. It creates an exciting environment for students, researchers and companies where architecture supports cross-disciplinary learning and contributes to informal surroundings for open learning. The students will experience an inspiring and open environment where they can take part in the active life unfolding in and around the atrium or retreat to quiet corners facing the terraces for peaceful studytime.
The building is designed to be robust and sustainable in terms of energy consumption by means of a pragmatic approach to technique, materials and detailing. Natural ventilation during the night will cool down the thermal mass of the heavy brick boxes and thus diminish the need for mechanical ventilation during the daytime. The rooftop produces energy by means of solar cells.
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