Youth culture centre and housing – UKH and UKHome

Aarhus

GOAL no. 1, 3, 10

A youth culture centre combined with housing for students and at-risk young people helps combat homelessness and leads to new creative communities.

There are about 5,800 homeless people in Denmark, and almost a third are between the ages of 18 and 29. Many have mental health issues or addiction to alcohol or drugs, and the mortality among the homeless is 14 to 20 times higher than among the same age group in the general population.

The purpose of the youth culture centre UKHome is to prevent and reduce homelessness among young people in Aarhus. The project provides 24 dwellings for 18-30-year-olds in a converted patient hotel attached to the former Aarhus County Hospital. Half the dwellings are allocated to at-risk young people without accommodation, the other half to students. The dwellings are placed in connection with a youth culture centre which contributes to a lively, creative environment based on art, culture and community. The shared areas are mainly furnished with second-hand furniture.

The interior design also reflects the aim of offering young people a way out of homelessness by encouraging various degrees of co-living. Every flat has a kitchenette and bathroom, but residents can also cook and eat together in the communal kitchen or visit the youth culture centre in the basement which is open to a wider target audience and offers activities such as music, dancing, creative workshops or communal meals. The building has a social caretaker whose job it is to promote community-building through shared activities.

This project demonstrates how the combination of youth housing and a youth culture centre can help counteract loneliness and isolation and prevent homelessness among young people. It is part of a general development plan for the former hospital site and reuses a building from 1898 that is worthy of preservation.

Project details

Where: Tage-Hansens Gade 8B, 8000 Aarhus C

Completed: 2020

Client: City of Aarhus, Department of Social Affairs and Employment, Ungdomskulturhuset – UKH (Youth Culture House) under City of Aarhus – Department of Culture and Citizens’ Services

Architects: Klara Lyshøj, Niras, Ungdomskulturhuset – UKH (Youth Culture Centre)

Studielandsbyen Viby, Aarhus

GOAL no. 3, 4, 11, 12

Is it possible to build affordable, community-oriented housing for students while preserving a special historic environment? This project accomplishes both.

Loneliness is a growing problem, not least for students, since embarking on further education is often a difficult life transition. The consequences of loneliness are significant, both at a personal level and for the national economy and may lead to somatic or mental illness. Moreover, many university towns struggle to offer their student population good, affordable housing. This project addresses both issues and brings new use into a historic environment worth preserving.

Studielandsbyen is a transformation and extension of the Søgaarden, an 18th-century half-timbered farmhouse built round a courtyard and located in Viby near Aarhus. Originally a cattle farm, the Søgaarden was gradually swallowed up by the growing city, and today, it is an idyllic rural oasis surrounded by highways and shopping centres. In this project, the remaining farm buildings were restored and transformed, and seven new buildings were added. The development contains 56 student dwellings in addition to communal facilities and grounds. The rent is affordable for students.

The project preserved the original character of the Søgaarden. In form, materials and construction, the new buildings appear as contemporary interpretations of the original ones. The historical buildings now have additional insulation and new roofs, and their timber frames have been restored.

The space between the buildings forms an intimate social network of informal meeting places, streets, passages and squares, where new and old stand side by side. Thus, the village combines easy access to communal settings with room for privacy.

The project’s community-oriented structure is based on the village model and aims to combat loneliness among the residents. In addition, it preserves and revives a special cultural environment that is rapidly disappearing from Danish cities.

Project details

Where: Damagervej 6–10, 8260 Viby

Size: 1,190 m2

Completed: 2017

Client: Studielandsbyen ApS

Architects: pihlmann architects in collaboration with Office Kim Lenschow

Photos: Hampus Berndtson

From stable to family dwelling Mårslet

GOAL no. 6, 7, 11, 12

In Mårslet, a village close to the city of Aarhus, lies a stable that was built for farm animals in 1970 but now serves as a contemporary family home. In addition to reusing the building, the project features reused furnishings and energy and water-saving solutions while preserving the original rustic expression of the original stable.

Rural Denmark has thousands of vacant buildings made obsolete by urbanization and new agricultural practices. Due to the cost of demolition, the disused buildings often fall into ruin, becoming a blight on the landscape and contributing to a general sense of decline. Unless they are put to new use, their cultural and material value will be lost, and both people and jobs will disappear from the countryside.

This project transformed a disused stable in a village near Aarhus into a contemporary family home. The building’s exterior walls in aerated concrete and load-bearing timber construction were preserved along with the original wooden ceilings. Indoors, aerated concrete was used for additional internal walls and insulation, while milk paint with chalk was chosen for its breathability and light reflection.

The 17-metre feed aisle running through the stable was also preserved. The kitchen, living room and home office are placed as open spaces along this axis, forming a combined living space. Variations in wooden and concrete flooring mark the different spaces and functions. In two of these rooms, reused oak parquet floors from 1939 and 1960 bring additional character to the 170-m2 dwelling. Bathroom elements are reused, as is the kitchen furniture which was made in 1970 and simply updated with repainted doors. Solar cells and rainwater collection help reduce electricity and water consumption.

The project gives new life to a disused building and shows that it can be transformed using existing building elements and materials combined with reused elements from other projects. It also produces clean energy and reduces water consumption.

Project details

Where: Obstrupvej 25, 8320 Mårslet

Completed: 2015

Clients and architects: Lea Aviaja Frost and Esben Dannemand Frost