AON - Office building in the Company Park Kolding

Address: Jupitervej 2, Kolding, DK
Client: AON Denmark A/S
Landscape: Arkitema
Engineers: Cowi
Turnkey contractor: NCC Danmark A/S
Size: Approx. 1,200 m²
Construction: 2003

The AON building is the first building in the new business park 'Company Park Kolding', which is strategically located with easy access to both the motorway network and Billund airport. Arkitema has helped to prepare the plan for the 105,000 m² business park, situated in a beautiful landscape that was carved out by the glaciers of the Ice Age. The aim is that the park's buildings, although constructed over a period of time, will form a whole, with the individual buildings representing variations on a common theme.
The building's south-facing facade and its fascia is clad in zinc, forming a distinctive covering that protects the open north facade and the gables. The north facade is a composition of a common window strip and white plaster surfaces. The smaller windows in the gables are recessed to make room for balconies and terraces.
The two open staircases in the building's central zone are determining factors in the building's organisation. Located at either end of the building, they play an important role, not merely in providing access and supporting social relations, but also as architectural elements in their own right, imparting a strong sense of identity to the building. The building is divided into four departments, bound together in a single unit by the staircases. In the building's eastern section, the representative facilities are located in association with the main stairway. The reception area, canteen and meeting centre form a single coherent space which opens up in two-storey height around the main stairway. Offices are located on the large first-floor balcony. In the building's western part, there are offices on both storeys around the smaller stairway. The office areas are flexible spaces which can be divided up as individual or open-plan offices. The building's interior is bright and airy, and is characterised by precise and simple details. As a contrast to the general light and whiteness, the floors and staircases are in oiled oak.