The roof of this extension to a Copenhagen cultural centre is shaped like an elongated S, and it seems to ramp up over the roof of a single of the buildings it adjoins (+ slideshow).
Danish firms Sophus Søbye Arkitekter and WE Architecture collaborated on the extension of the Mariehøj Kulturcenter in Holte, a northern suburb of Copenhagen.
The building’s aluminium roof scoops up from the ground at the lowest element of the web site and over the ridge of an existing block – reminiscent of the concave profile of Hyperlink Arkitektur’s Ålgård Church in Norway.
This sloping roof back links two previously separate buildings on the internet site and shelters a new lobby for the centre. The aim was to develop a form that blends in with the surrounding hilly landscape.
“The cultural centre merges with each other with the green landscape bridging the gap amongst the arrival region, the cultural plaza and the stunning backyard of Mariehøj,” explained the architects.
Connected story: Shingled neighborhood centres by Sophus Søbye Arkitekter face into Copenhagen parkland
“The new foyer will take the ideal of the current buildings styles and introduces a new typology not foreign to the rest of the creating.”
The extension is covered in sheets of perforated aluminium and a broad wooden staircase leads up a roof terrace. The measures double as an outdoor seating spot.
“We chose perforated aluminium because we discovered that the material could be processed to comply with the building’s curved geometry,” Sophus Søbye advised Dezeen. “In addition, it gives the extension a contemporary expression.”
Within, meeting spaces on the reduce and upper storeys are linked by a darker wooden staircase. They are furnished just with wooden chairs and tables, and naturally lit by a pair of glazed walls.
The ceiling is covered in white perforated panels that have a gridded pattern that matches the exterior cladding – a feature also utilised by WE Architecture for a renovation of a tea store elsewhere in the city.
The layout of the centre’s present spaces, which involves music rooms and occasions spaces, have been also reorganised and renovated.
Project credits:
Architecture: Sophus Søbye Arkitekter, WE Architecture
Architect team: Sophus Søbye, Elena Ardighieri, Maria del Mar Freire Morales, Jan Nielsen, Ejvind Christiansen, Marc Jay, Julie Schmidt-Nielsen, Thomas Helsted, Kurt Ohlenschlaeger, Hermanus Neikamp, Lawrence Mahadoo, Lena Reeh Rasmussen, Jenny Sellden, Zsofia Horvath, Nora Fossum, Søren Thiesen, Luis Gill, Martin McSherry, Indre Motiejunaite, Nuria Carbonell Etyo, Casper Berntsen, Mantas Vilkelis
Collaborators: MASU Planning, Øllgaard Consulting Engineer, Spangenberg & Madsen Consulting Engineer, Hausenberg
Site prepare – click for greater picture Ground floor program – click for bigger picture Very first floor program – click for larger image Roof program – click for more substantial image Extended segment – click for bigger picture Cross area – click for more substantial image