Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Nordic Architecture & Design Special – Denmark
Creating reinvigorating architecture Aarhus, Denmark’s second-largest city, is going through a citywide transformation in which new buildings are springing up and old neighbourhoods are being renovated and reenergised. Eriksen Arkitekter is at the forefront of these new developments, creating new student houses and private homes where the focus is on the use of the building. Translation: Josefine Older Steffensen | Photos: Eriksen Arkitekter
Near Aarhus University, Eriksen’s Arkitekter are involved in numerous projects to redevelop and beautify the local area, which at the moment is characterised by a mismatch of buildings and large roads. Situated close to the university, the centre of Aarhus and the E45 motorway, it is an area of great potential. Eriksen Arkitekter have already finished 18 two-room apartments, perfect for sharing, with balconies, shared roof terraces and gardens. The buildings have been drawn and constructed to 62 | Issue 105 | October 2017
fit in to the local environment and are innovative in their design with a bright staircase behind a glass wall, while the outside is clad in STENI façade panels in five nuances, giving the building a look that changes throughout the day. Importantly, the architecture Eriksen Arkitekter create is there to last, to be functional and to fit in. When a building is surrounded by roads, it needs to be able to stand up to that environment as well as be comfortable for the people living in it – a balance that Eriksen have become experts at.
New projects An 18,000-square-metre project is underway close to the university on Randersvej, in which terraced houses and apartment buildings will form a frame around a large green communal space. The aim of the firm was to create architecture that really increases the quality of life in the local area. The buildings were designed to last and to still look good for many years to come – innovative design mixed with functionality. This new project will comprise 13 apartment buildings with three to six floors in each, as well as 15 terraced houses with two floors. They will be finished with grey slate and a slanting roof that will vary from house to house, to create the dramatic illusion of a mountain chain. The slate will also be used in hallways and windows to create a pattern. Certain pieces of slate will be omitted from the