A handful of simple but well thought gestures compose this interesting ‘harbour-campus-waterfront’. The soft willow trees contrast the rough harbour milieu and accompanying wind conditions. A comfortable wooden sun-deck catches much needed warmth. The suprematistic composition of wooden slabs give impression as if they were unloaded from a ship and then reorganised spontaneously for seating.
See other editor's picksMarianne Levinsen Landskab: The project creates an outdoor space surrounding the building of Navitas, the Engineering and Technical Engineering School in Aarhus, by inviting city life into the harbour. The dominant landscape element is the distinctive terraced platform along the harbour as well as the inner courtyards, which form green oases in the middle of the large building. The staircase to the water is created with large terraced steps, where edges and flat surfaces create various seating opportunities. Tall silver willow trees are planted on the stairway, conveying the scale between building and space, as well as offering shade and shelter. Silver willow trees enhance the very distinctive character of the place and the silver shades of the leaves capture the feeling of the experience of the shift between water and light. Trees are illuminated in the evening from below – and appear in the dark as light and shining clouds over the square.
Design: Marianne Levinsen Landskab
Location: Aarhus, Denmark
Completion date: 2014
Area m2 / sq ft: 13000 m2 / 139930 sq ft
Photograph: Torben Petersen / Marianne Levinsen Landskab
Collaborators: Client: INCUBA, Engineering and Technical Engineering School
Lead consultant: Kjær & Richter, CCO
