OPEN DESIGN COMPETITION FOR A NEW SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE LAUNCHED

The Danish Building & Property Agency and Aarhus School of Architecture have just launched an open, international design competition for a new school of architecture at Godsbanearealerne in Aarhus, Denmark. Participants in the competition will not only be required to submit their proposals for a new school but also for the surrounding areas. The deadline for submission of proposals is 1 February 2016.

Competition programme and other relevant material can be found on newaarch.dk.

A tribute to the architectural profession

The Danish Building & Property Agency and Aarhus School of Architecture hope for the commitment of the entire profession and invite major architectural firms as well as young, untested architects to participate in the open design competition. The winners of the open design competition will proceed to the final project competition in which they will be up against three pre-qualified teams: BIG from Denmark, Lacaton & Vassal from France and SANAA from Japan.

Rector of Aarhus School of Architecture, Torben Nielsen, explains:
“It’s not every day a school of architecture is built from scratch. As a tribute to the architectural profession, we will take the opportunity offered by the design competition to get proposals from the entire industry for rethinking the school’s physical setting. Our dream is a new school that resonates internationally and shows what architecture can do.

We will not define a wide range of requirements for the project. We are curious and open to new ways of thinking when it comes to designing the school. For this reason, we have drawn up an open competition programme that focuses on ‘the good idea’.”

Developing Godsbanearealerne

The move to Godsbanearealerne will give Aarhus School of Architecture an opportunity to influence the way the urban district develops. Aarhus Municipality has set aside an area four times as large as the required site for the new school.

This area will be part of the open design competition, resulting in an overall, comprehensive plan for how the future school of architecture can be an integral part of a new creative and dynamic environment with cafes, homes and other cultural institutions.

Municipal involvement

“Godsbanearealerne, located in the heart of Arhus, is the city’s new creative urban district that is developing in an unconventional way. Having a new school of architecture located in the area will be perfect for the vision of a diverse urban district. At Aarhus Municipality we hope Aarhus School of Architecture will, due to its physical expression and its function, involve its surroundings and the city, and thus create great popular interest in and an insight into the importance of aesthetics, architecture and urban development,” says Eric Jespersen, Director of the Department of Technical Services and Environment of Aarhus Municipality.

Besides a long initial dialogue with the Danish Building & Property Agency and Aarhus School of Architecture, the municipality has contributed to the competition programme and will continue to be part of discussions about the new school and the further development of Godsbanearealerne. Erik Jespersen and City Architect Stephen Willacy will also be advising the jury in choosing the three winners of the open design competition.

The open design competition is funded by Aarhus School of Architecture and Realdania.

The new school of architecture sited at Godsbanearealerne is expected to be ready for inauguration in the summer of 2020.

Download the official press release (PDF) from the Danish Building & Property Agency.