Aarhc

We imagine the school as a continuation of the linear sheds of the Godsbanen arts complex and the adjacent warehouse buildings. By picking up the spatial and structural qualities of the shed – uniform spaces under large-span structure frames, lit from above – we maximize flexibility in the juxtaposition of programs, reinforce the sense of a collectivity and enable all possible intuitive synergies that an active school of architecture wants to trigger and foster. The school blends in rather than stands out. By placing the new building at an equal status with its surroundings we reinforce potential exchange with the adjacent institutions blurring the boundaries in between.

The school is organized as a sequence of industrial shed frames that maximize continuity on the ground while creating a collective canopy (the school’s new sky) through the juxtaposition of different roof sections that manage light and air locally and in reference to the specific programmatic needs below. The double and triple heights offered by the juxtaposed roofs, allow the articulation of overhanging passerelles and floating mezzanines between the great roof and the open studio plate that host more private study rooms and professor offices.

A stacked taller volume placed at the west end of the complex hosts the main amphitheater, administration offices and event space providing the reverse view of the roofscape to the public. The pitched roof, as the main architectural component of the complex finds here many interpretations between its symbolic and functional role.