Buildings

Lighthouse is a residential-led, mixed-use development situated at the tip of Aarhus Harbour, facing the water, and pinpointing the transition from Aarhus Bay. Openness, safety, and diversity characterize the development, which combines a high-rise structure with a group of mid-rise buildings to foster community and interaction. Completed in two phases, the development combines private as well as social housing. A waterfront promenade with public restaurants, cafes, and retail space invites visitors into the site and creates a lively and diverse streetscape. Phase two saw the completion of Denmark’s tallest building which includes a public rooftop restaurant allowing visitors to share the incredible views over the city and Aarhus Bay. “We think the project is a lighthouse in more than one sense. Obviously, the building will become a landmark. But it is also an example of how we should be doing urban development in a way that catalyzes activities and social relations.” – Kim Herforth Nielsen, Founder and Creative Director, 3XN.

Location and Premises – The Hut is located at 2875 m above sea level. The refuge is the starting point for tours to some of the highest peaks of the region. The original hut was built between 1895 and 1897. The hut, which is now owned by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano in South Tyrol, was built in its penultimate form in 1992 and was badly damaged by an avalanche in February 2014. Following these events, an international planning competition was organized to draw up a preliminary project for the new hut. Due to the existing, still functional infrastructural development, the shelter was to be rebuilt on the site of the destroyed building.

The act of architecture can be developed based on the concept of ‘metaphor.’ The image of a ship (ark) gently floating on the sea of a gray city has been used as a metaphor. By giving the form and material a sense of weight, the aim was to establish a serene and fundamental presence within the city as a sanctuary and womb-like space.