To create an atmosphere of calm and simplicity, aNNeKS seldom uses more than three different types of materials or colours.
Building stillness through dialogue Based on an all-inclusive, democratic dialogue, Danish architecture firm aNNeKS aims to create oases of calm for everyone from office workers to children and homeless people. The result of the dialogue is not just a diverse range of projects, but also a test of a four-day working week for aNNeKS’ employees. By Signe Hansen | Photos: aNNeks
Since taking over aNNeKS in 2004, 51-year-old Morten Sonnenborg has dedicated himself and the firm to designing spaces that not only allow people to escape the everyday busyness of life, but actively facilitate stillness. That means working with a number of tools not customarily a part of the architectural practice. “Literature on psychology, architecture and people is really not that easy to come across; the last Danish publication we have on how the built structures 88 | Issue 129 | October 2019
we live in affect us as human beings dates all the way back to 1971,” explains Sonnenborg. “But even though we’re all educated at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, where we learn to prioritise art above all else – and I also agree that we should – I strongly believe that our job is also to find and integrate the human perspective.” This approach has resulted in a number of projects specifically adapted to individual users. One example is a school with
windows at children’s height, and another is a home for homeless people, which combines a safe, private sphere with a versatile, low-maintenance space that allows for informal socialising.
A London office and homes for homeless people Creating space for rest, stillness and restitution is at the heart of most of aNNeKS’ designs, and facilitating this requires research into the individual user’s needs. “You need to put yourself in the user’s place and think: what is peace to them? At the moment we’re creating homes for people with autism, and creating an environment that facilitates stillness for them means making sure that everything is manageable,” Sonnenborg says.