Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Nordic Architecture & Design – Denmark
VUC Glødelampen in Aabenraa.
Revitalising transformation ZENI Architects love transformation. ”There’s something really inspiring and interesting in taking a pre-existing building, getting to know it inside and out, and then carrying on its identity in a new and life-giving way,” says co-owner of ZENI Architects, Torben Sørensen. “This year, we’ve been really lucky to work on quite a few old and lonely buildings which had very exciting potential. Their identities were just waiting to be polished up and re-purposed so that people would care again.” By Louise Older Steffensen | Photos: Martin Schubert
”Each building deserves care, attention and understanding – recognising a building’s unique history and expression is certainly key to its successful transformation.” With several architectural prizes and nominations under their belt, the Aabenraa-based ten-person team keeps punching above its weight, rolling out both award-winning renovations of older buildings and highly praised new builds. Though they mostly stick to southern Jutland, they undertake all 50 | Issue 117 | October 2018
kinds of projects from private villas to cultural institutions, which this year included Sønderborg’s new multipurpose cultural centre.
Innovation on the waterfront ZENI Architects’ transformation of Sønderborg Multikulturhus became one of six projects nominated for Denmark’s RENOVER Award 2018. The national award honoured the best renovations of 2018, and it is not difficult to see
why the Multikulturhus was included. Before the transformation, the only large warehouse left on Sønderborg’s old industrial dock provided a natural transition between the wharf and the idyllic strip of fishing cottages behind it. Without a particular function, however, it too was in danger of demolition to make way for the new culture house. ”It completely made sense for the municipality to want to make better use of the dock,” Sørensen says. ”But a huge new stand-alone building would’ve looked out of place right in front of the wharf’s little fishing houses and altered the coherence and identity of the harbour. Together with our colleagues at AART, we found a way to connect the warehouse to the new building, for it to act as another type of bridge; this time, a way to merge