SKT. CLEMENS HUS, AARHUS

SKT. CLEMENS HUS, AARHUS

Architects: E+N Arkitektur

Skt. Clemens Hus at Sct. Clemens Torv in Aarhus has been transformed from a closed bank building of the 1960s into a building in dialogue with its surroundings. The original structure was characterised by the period’s rational concrete language and an institutional gravitas that conveyed robustness, control and detachment. Through the transformation, E+N Arkitektur have reworked this character with respect for both the building’s primary structure and the site’s historic context.

A key quality of the project lies in its retained and articulated structural system. The building is executed as an in-situ cast concrete column-and-slab structure, cast on site rather than assembled from prefabricated elements. This monolithic structural logic has been brought forward as an active component of the building’s new identity. The exposed concrete ceilings provide the interiors with greater spatial height, material presence and authenticity, while timber ceilings introduce warmth and visual calm.

The lighting strategy has been conceived as an integrated part of the architecture. The simple pendant luminaires form a calm luminous ceiling that supports the atmospheric quality of the spaces and accentuates the character of the materials. At the same time, light assumes a particular role in the relationship between building and city. After dark, the interior lighting becomes part of the building’s exterior architectural expression, while the windows operate as frames for the life within. In this way, the façade functions not merely as an enclosure, but as a medium of visual communication between the building and the city.

The transformation of Skt. Clemens Hus is therefore not merely a renovation, but an architectural reconfiguration in which the existing fabric has been reworked into a more open, sensorial and humane whole.

 Photography: Outdoor: Helene Hoyer Mikkelsen. Inside: E+N Architecture