The Danish branch of the international shipping company Wrist Group has chosen Arkitema to design its new domicile.
With a maritime theme
The Danish branch of the international shipping company Wrist Group has chosen Arkitema to design its new domicile.
The foundation of the Wrist Group's great success is the sea, which surrounds the globe and both separates and links nations and companies. It was therefore completely natural that Wrist Group should choose a spectacular seaside location for its new domicile – not by a major ocean, but beside the Danish Limfjord, which has always been a highway for trade and transport.
Simple architectural form language
We responded to the challenge of this project with a straightforward design which features right-angled sequences and horizontal accentuation, while at the same time providing a distinctive frame for the spectacular view across the tidal meadow and the fjord.
The principal point of the design is the location of the store building beside the motorway on the eastern part of the site, with the administration block at right-angles to this, along the coast. The administration block consists of two wings of four and five storeys each, located on an east-west axis. The two wings rise up from the joint reception and canteen level, which functions as a unifying and distributing space, linking the various functions of the complex. The administration block buildings have also been placed on a plinth, emphasised by a distinctive forecourt to the west.
Light as a sculptural shaper
Besides the narrow window assemblies at eye level, the building is also perforated by horizontal window strips beneath the ceiling level. These strips draw the powerful light from the south deep into the building, creating a striking play of light on the ceilings. Above the window strips to the south, we have established shade coverings which help to prevent the building over-heating in summer. On the north side the window assemblies are larger, letting in the beautiful and characterful north light, which is far more suitable for work. The office floors thus become almost sculpturally lit, which again lends interplay and substance to the simple choice of materials in the complex.
We aim to achieve a quite simple, functionally-driven expression, in which the luminous appearance of the facade, in combination with the dark grey mass of the store building in the background, subtly plays upon the simple colour scale of the sea: white against dark. At the same time, the horizontal accentuation of the facade enters into direct dialogue with the horizontal plane of the beach, and unites the facade expression by capturing the entire composition. The facade also embraces the main volume of the administration wing.
The other participating architectural practices were C. F. Møller and Bjørk & Maigård.
For further information, contact architect and partner Kim Risager at mobile +45 40957011, or mail to kir@arkitema.dk
Data
Address: Stigsborgvej, Nørresundby
Size: 20,000 m²
Year of construction: 2009
Client: Wrist Group A/S
Landscape Architect: Arkitema
Engineer: Bascon