Architects: PLOT = BIG + JDSLocation: Copenhagen, Denmark
Client: Kvaterloft Copenhagen, Loa Fund
Collaborator: JDS ARCHITECTS, BIRCH &
KROGBOE
Constructed Area: 2,000
sqm
Project year: 2004
Budget: US $1,950,000
How do you turn the problem
of a polluted site into an architectural potential?
of a polluted site into an architectural potential?
A third of our budget wasallocated to remove our polluted topsoil. By covering the site with a wooden deck
we could leave the soil where it was and invest the money on the building
rather than the site’s polluted topsoil. The result is a public landscape of
social functions surrounded by water on all sides.
Two very different usershad to share the facilities: a sailing club and a youth centre with conflicting
requirements: the youth centre wanted outdoor space for the kids to play; the sailing club required most
of the site to moor their boats. The building is the result of these two
contradictory demands: The deck is elevated high enough to allow for boat
storage underneath while providing an undulating landscape for the kids to run and play above.
The interior of thebuilding is very low key: the front room oriented towards the coastline, is
used as a common room where most of centre’s daily activities take place. It
utilizes a higher level of materials and detailing than the workshop and
storage areas. The floor in the workshop is a standard grey concrete whereas the commons area has a polished
Aalborg white concrete with white aggregate. The presence of
hard surfaces used on the interior is meant to contrast the wooden exterior, an
inversion of what is commonly done (wooden interior, concrete and asphalt exterior). This is meant to
reflect the dominance of outdoor activities of the youth house. The Maritime
Youth House has therefore gained an additional ‘room’ which IS the wooden deck
– it supports all the centre’s programs, indoor and outdoor.
