Located on a former industrial cargo dock, between the waterfront and the historical city centre of Aarhus, Dokk1 is the centrepiece in the revitalisation and integration of the depleted harbour areas. Housing the Central Library, citizens’ services, workplaces for the municipality as well as a group of companies and networks, Dokk1 offers a dynamic environment for learning, knowledge sharing, cultural and social activities. More than a building, Dokk1 is a “state of mind” that transfers from building to individual and back again. It is where community, experimentation, and individual expression enrich civic life.
The modern library is a meeting place; an open, public space – a ‘third space’ between the home and the workplace – where users can meet other people, those who are like themselves as well as those who are completely different. Thus, the library is a special kind of public space, and a place that must provide a setting for meaningful personal experiences - the kind that move and enliven us. Dokk1 was designed in collaboration with and for the city of Aarhus, where citizens are viewed as key creative actors throughout the life of the project. The engagement process was built on credibility, respect, and true engagement, where all voices are treated as equals. Citizens, users, representatives from local and national organizations, current and future partners, library staff, consultants and selected experts were involved in the creative process. It is this iterative design process that helped shape Dokk1 into what it is today – an interface between society and its citizens, a creative and democratic community, the cultural heart of Aarhus.
The completion of Dokk1 marked a paradigm shift from libraries emphasising physical media to become places focused on people and their relations to their surroundings. Dokk1 reflects the dynamic multidisciplinary thinking that will no doubt define our future, both in its professional organisation as well as in the way the design accommodates synergic relationships so naturally with its spatial generosity.
Aarhus is a vivacious city by the water, a city of culture, knowledge and progress. Dokk1, a multimedia library on the new urban harbour front, is a physical manifestation of these qualities; with its unique but challenging site at this historically significant place in Aarhus, where the creek flows into the bay, where the city was originally founded.
By means of a comprehensive urban gesture, the distinctive location along the waterfront has been reclaimed; existing barriers have been broken down, and with Dokk1 acting as a pivot point, the numerous flows and movements in the city are interlinked.
Dokk1 is not simply a building, it is a state of mind. It is a democratic, non-hierarchic and adaptable space for the sharing and exchange of knowledge.
The project is part of the ambitious district plan to reconnect the former industrial cargo docks on the harbour of Aarhus with the historic centre of the city.
The generative design motif is a covered public space with a multi-edged volume hovering above it and protecting it.
The program represents a new generation of hybrid public buildings.
The main function of a library coexists with a citizen service centre, office space, automated parking for 1,000 cars and a station on the Light Rail Transit system.
After the realisation, more partners have decided to move into Dokk1.
The architectural concept is a robust external shell - like a warehouse - providing the raw framework for a domestic and adaptable interior.
Dokk1 is home to many different organisations and companies. Except for the main library, Dokk1 hosts innovation, technology and creativity companies, citizen services, broadcast studios, tourist information offices and others.
Dokk1 is a space where culture meets art. The Elmgreen & Dragset “Magic Mushrooms” art piece, a metropolis model mounted upside down, sits within the ground floor parking entrance (left).
The gong by Kirstine Roepstorff is the bell that can be activated and strikes every time a new child is born in Aarhus Municipality (right).
New Zealand artist Daniel Belton presented the biggest edition of his lighting installation ‘More Light’ during the Aarhus Festival.
Dokk1 featuring on a stamp issued on the occasion of Aarhus holding the title of European Capital of Culture in 2017.
Dokk1 was created through extensive citizens’ consultations. Over 6 themed evenings, citizens of Aarhus and a diverse range of stakeholders were invited to discuss different aspects of a building – from functionality to accessibility, from experience to logistics. All efforts were made to spread the word and ensure broad participation.
All input was collected, categorized, and processed, the results of which culminated in an ideas catalogue. Most ideas were implemented, some reserved for future evolution – all played back to the city. Many aspects of the building experienced today can be directly traced back to the discussions that took place in these consultations. Dokk1 is richer, more vibrant, more “Aarhus” today, also because of this process.
Dokk1 is a covered urban square dedicated to culture, media, and knowledge creation, located where Aarhus Creek meets Aarhus Bay. As the centrepiece of an ambitious masterplan to revitalise the former industrial cargo docks, it connects the historic city centre with the waterfront. It houses the Central Library alongside a dynamic mix of companies, networks, and partners, including citizens’ services, municipal workplaces, Danmarks Radio, and the Aarhus State Archives.
With a 1,000-car automated public parking facility and a light rail stop connecting to the wider region, Dokk1 functions as both a platform for innovation and experimentation and a multicultural meeting place that welcomes all. It is a rough yet poetic urban place, designed for people and media, and conceived as a meeting place that reactivates and returns the waterfront to the city.
The initiators of the library project sought to rethink the function of the library and the type of space it requires. Situated on the Aarhus harbourfront, Dokk1 has played a vital role in the reintegration and revitalisation of former industrial areas along the water.
Together, these two agendas – adaptability and urban renewal – shaped the concept for Dokk1.
Housing the city's public library and citizens’ service centre, a multi-purpose hall, workplaces for the municipality, the Aarhus State Archives, maker spaces, modern office spaces, a café and outdoor playgrounds, Dokk1 caters to a broad spectrum of users and has become a popular urban destination for citizens and tourists alike.
The light rail connects Dokk1 and the harbour across the greater urban region, while an automated parking facility for cars as well as safe and easy access for pedestrians and cyclists make Dokk1 a well-connected and lively place in the city.
Dokk1 provides an open, public space – a ‘third space’ between home and workplace – where users encounter people both like themselves and very different from them, and where new synergies arise through the continuous cross-pollination of the building’s many functions.
For this reason, the library is a special kind of public space. It offers settings for meaningful personal experiences – the kind that move and enliven us – while also supporting shared experiences that foster a sense of community and belonging.
The glass façade allows for views of the surrounding cityscape and harbour and roots the building in a historic and contemporary context. From the outside passers-by can observe the people and the activities taking place inside the building and perhaps be inspired to join.
With no front or back, Dokk1 embraces the city and visitors from many angles and offers new stunning views every time you turn a corner.
Inside, spaces for contemplation, study group meetings and play coexist, and while parts of the upper floors are reserved for offices, the open layout of the building still allows for a feeling of transparency and openness.
Dokk1 is a popular destination for families with children, daycare centres, and schools. Here, a love of books and reading is nurtured alongside play and learning, creating space for children and adults of all ages to explore their imagination.
A designated area for breastfeeding, changing nappies, and heating baby bottles caters to parents on maternity or paternity leave, mother’s group gatherings, and families with toddlers.
In the centre of the building, a multi-purpose event space is wrapped in dark timber lamellas. The integrated folding doors mean that the space can be opened towards the café area for larger events, while remaining a closed-off space for smaller, more intimate cultural performances, meetings, etc.
The gently curved surface adds a warm, tactile quality to the concrete that dominates the rest of the building.
Inside the multi-purpose event space, the timber walls are perforated by thousands of small holes, together creating a decorative art piece that also cleverly optimises the acoustics.
Public art is integrated throughout the building, both indoors and outdoors, and all works have been created specifically for Dokk1. The Gong, an in-situ work by Danish artist Kirstine Roepstorff, is a large bronze tubular bell suspended beneath the skylight above the central ramp. The gong can be activated from the maternity ward at the local hospital. When a new baby is born in Aarhus, parents may choose to sound it, and its ringing can be heard almost everywhere in Dokk1.
The outdoor areas invite activities and recreational breaks. Here, the city and the water meet creating a dynamic public space for people to connect and interact.
