Schmidt Hammer Lassen to revitalize Aarhus district with new Sports and Culture Campus

The Danish city of Aarhus is in the midst of redevelopment and revitalization efforts in the Gellerup district to better adjust to the growing number of residents and changing demographics in the community. Part of the city's master plan for Gellerup is a new Sports and Culture Campus that will offer a library, facilities for local residents and children specifically, and (potentially) a public swimming pool.

The architectural competition to design this new multi-use community project just concluded, and the jury selected Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects in collaboration with Loop Architects, landscape architects MASU Planning ApS, and engineering partners COWI A/S for the job. 

With an office in Aarhus, SHL is familiar with the city and has won local competitions before, like in 2016, for the "oasis" housing complex.

Read on for more images and a project description we've received from the architects.

Located in the western part of Aarhus Kommune, Gellerup is the city's most culturally diverse district with residents relocating to the neighbourhood from all corners of the globe. The Gellerup Sports and Culture Campus is a part of the city's ambitious Master Plan, a project aimed at improving the quality of life and safety in the area in collaboration with the community's residents.

The winning proposal presented an inviting building structure that breaks up the city's existing boxy grid with an open, flowing layout that strengthens community ties, neighbourhood democracy and cohesion. The architecture supports openness and creates space for people to meet each other by overlapping buildings and spaces in an intuitive way.

"When designing the campus, our intention was to create a welcoming place that is open and relevant for the local community, while also appealing to residents from across Aarhus and the world," said Trine Berthold, Associate Partner at Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects. "We hope to draw people into the campus's various elements with architecture that is rooted in the local environment, but also speaks to an international audience."

"In a community as diverse as Gellerup, it is important that the new campus be a democratic place that is friendly, unpretentious and easy to move through so that it encourages use by every member of the district and interaction between people of all walks of life," added Berthold.

The winning team, selected after a competition that also included Danish architectural firms 3XN and CEBRA, will now begin work to develop a detailed design. Work on-site is planned to begin in early 2018, with completion estimated to be in 2021.

Project Details:

Client: Aarhus Municipality, Brabrand Boligforening     
Building area: 10,000 m2     
Architect: Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects
Collaborating architects: Loop Architects 
Engineers: COWI A/S
Landscape architects: MASU Planning ApS     
Competition: Winner of contract in competition, 2017     
Status: Expected completion 2021