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The translucent facade and red floor of the sports hall give Nobis a warm, inviting glow.
Architect of the Month, Denmark
Bringing the vision to life A striking light design, a colourful floor, and old wall bars turned into beautiful wall panels – at Laungaard Arkitekter (LAARK), small details come together to create big architectural visions. In recent years, a number of remarkable renovation projects have earned the small Copenhagen firm much recognition for its passionate conceptual designs.
ees and take on further similar projects. Currently, the firm is working on the renovation of the KVUC building – a centre for secondary education for adults – in central Copenhagen.
By Signe Hansen | Photos: Laungaard Arkitekter
A dialogue between the new and the old
Founded by Michael W. Laungaard in 2010, LAARK has experienced increasing attention and acclaim in recent years. In particular, the acclaim stems from the company’s renovations of educational institutions such as Efterslægten, a more than 200-year-old school in west Copenhagen. Reviewing the project, the national newspaper Politiken gave the renovation five stars and praised LAARK for its “architectural respect for the past and artistic imagination”. And, it is exactly this desire to dig into the heart of the building and tell its story that drives founder of LAARK, Michael W. Laungaard. “There has to be passion be108 | Issue 118 | November 2018
hind the work, a desire to create stories and poetry through architecture,” he says. “Finding that story, the essence of the building, and turning it into an architectural concept is the most important thing in the whole project; it’s what connects everything and enables us to manage 20,000 square metres. It takes time and work, and it requires a client who is on board, but it’s what we have done, and it’s the reason we have achieved the results and recognition we have.” Efterslægten was LAARK’s first major renovation project, and it enabled the firm to expand to its current six employ-
When LAARK was first hired by Efterslægten, it was to build a new sports hall to complement and further the old institution’s foundational belief that a strong body leads to a strong mind. Nobis, the new sports hall, was to replace the original hall built in 1939, which LARK subsequently transformed into new educational facilities. With a partially transparent facade, the otherwise grey, monolith-like new sports hall gives off a warm glow in the night. Indoors, the mesh-like facade and ceiling segments create a constant soft light complemented by beautiful wood