Mosaikken - Community Centre in Kjellerup, Denmark

The library and community centre is a vibrant meeting-place, relating to both the school and the town.

The building is a meeting point. It encompasses many functions and lies in close proximity to the local school and community hall, and provides a natural meeting-place between the cultural and leisure activities of the school and the town.

Address: Skolevangen, Kjellerup
Client: Kjellerup Municipality
Architect: Arkitema
Landscape: Møller & Grønborg
Engineers: COWI A/S
Size: 2,800 m²
Construction: 2005

The vision is that the entire development – the building and the surrounding spaces – will be woven into the existing, somewhat complex urban scene to create a new wholeness and identity in the area, while at the same time establishing itself as a public meeting-place. The building houses: library, cinema, meeting facilities, teaching facilities, school administration, local art exebition and more.

The aim is to create a building that is open and inviting, and which will allow itself to be coloured and transformed by the various activities taking place there during the day and evening. The building is called Mosaikken – the mosaic – because of its mix of functions which takes place in it.

The building is open towards the square that links it to the sports hall. From here, users are led into the building's common area, which has the character of a market square.

It is a bright room with a high ceiling and two large space-creating elements: "The Rotunda" and "The Bookshelf", both of which are visible from the outside, and consequently help to communicate the building's activities. The Bookshelf provides access to the library and separates it from the ‘market square’. Its location along one side of the market square means that the library makes natural use of parts of the square for its exhibitions, notice boards, etc. The school and the library are also linked by a smaller connecting building.

The Rotunda houses the auditorium/multi-purpose hall. It can be opened up with large folding doors, allowing the market square to become a regular floor area, which may be utilised for large events, exhibitions, etc.

The building also houses a number of functions associated with the adjacent school. These functions are located in close proximity to the existing school buildings, and form a backbone towards the west and south.

Along the south side of the market square is a meeting centre with transparent walls on the hall side, allowing contact with the building's activities.

The activity centre is located on the ground floor on the western side of the building.

In 2006 Mosaikken was granded with support from the Statens Kunstfond, Denmark and was decorated with items of art made by the artist Leonard Forslund.