Casanova+Hernandez architects | A043_Culture Yard

     

A043_Culture Yard

Helsingor, Denmark

The establishment of Helsingør Shipyard in 1882 was a milestone in the industrial revolution in Helsingør. The end of the shipyard’s life in 1983 marks the end of a century of port activity that has always been an important part of the city’s cultural heritage.

The new Culture Yard will become a landmark in Helsingør and will also be a tribute to the importance of the Shipyard in the history of the city.

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The proposal seeks to create an iconic building that reflects the historical importance of the shipyard and simultaneously the identity of modern culture. It is based on a very flexible scheme that works at different scales, from the urban to the layout of each floor.

The building is based on the symbiotic relationship between the industrial past and the cultural future, between the massive industrial buildings made of brick and the light and transparent additions made of glass and steel.

The new “cultural city” consists of several industrial buildings connected by glass streets. An open square “piazza” will be the largest open-air courtyard in the heart of the complex.

The complex is designed as a compact and dense city piece that will become an important urban element, link between the existing city, the port and Kronenborg Castle.

A central library functions as an open city space where people move horizontally and vertically through the glass-enclosed lobby, enter the industrial building to find the book in the open-access shelving area, and move into the informal seating spaces next to the glass front façade or in the study spaces placed in the front glass bridge to enjoy natural light and views.

Cafeterias, exhibition halls, multipurpose rooms and meeting rooms of very different sizes complete the program. All rooms can be combined creating different layouts to provide flexibility of use for different target groups.

The old windows of the existing building will be closed towards the Shipyard Square and a new large panoramic window will be opened on that façade. From the inside, this new large window offers panoramic views over the Castle and the port, and functions as a great eye that shows the activity of the Center to the outside.

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Helsingør Municipality
Cultural center, Library
72.000 m²
10.000 m²
€ 20.000.000