GUIDE CCI EUROPE
On the occasion of the opening of CCI Europe’s new head office on 11 September 2001, the contracting company Skanska A/S, the engineering company Carl Bro as and the firm of architects Arkitektgruppen Aarhus have prepared this guide by way of thanking CCI Europe for the fine cooperation on the development and construction of the new head office.
GUIDE CCI EUROPE
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CCI Europe A/S Axel Kiers Vej 11 DK-8270 Højbjerg Denmark Phone: +45 8733 5588 Fax: +45 8733 5188
PREFACE CCI Europe’s new building is like a city with all the variety, experiences and qualities that characterise a city. In addition to an open and inspiring environment, CCI Europe wished to create a functional workplace for its employees. At the same time, the company wanted a representative building for the many people who visit CCI Europe every year.
The building is like a city divided into different zones, some public, others more private. Like visitors to foreign cities, visitors here will also naturally seek out the public areas; this is where they meet the inhabitants of the city and gain an insight into the city life.
The competition: In January 2000, the competition to build a new city for CCI Europe was won by Skanska A/S, Carl Bro as and Arkitektgruppen Aarhus. Area: 16,300 sq. m. No. of inhabitants: 375 No. of annual visitors: 7-8,000 Population density: approx. 44 sq. m. per inhabitant
Arrival
08 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE FACE TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD
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13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ARRIVAL
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14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE PUBLIC ZONE
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24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE QUARTERS
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30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ART
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34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DETAILS
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38 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UNDER CONSTRUCTION
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The Public Zone
The Quarters
Contents
The Face to the Outside World
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THE FACE TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD The City of CCI Europe is a close neighbour to the parent company Aarhuus Stiftsbogtrykkerie. The two buildings mark the extreme points of the site – divided by a long stretch of parkland. The green space both connects and separates the buildings at the same time.
Aarhuus Stiftsbogtrykkerie
CCI Europe
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The architectural idea originates from a significant variation in ground level, which are embraced by the building as an identity-creating element. The building is connected to the land at the site’s highest level; from here, it protrudes above the lower level – gliding into place above a glass foundation, which is only visible from the ring road.
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1 The Face to the Outside World
CCI Europe faces the outside world in an open and dynamic way. The northern facade towards Ringvej Syd is a light glass facade, whereas the natural stone cladding of the other facades adds a sense of solidity. The change between solidity and lightness plays an important role, thus repeating a theme which also characterises Aarhuus Stiftsbogtrykkerie’s face to the outside world. The endeavours to create a unity as well as architectural qualities are a clear and unambiguous reflection of CCI Europe’s attitude to its surroundings.
ARRIVAL
The lobby is a short break, an interlude before the large stairway square – before the full orchestration.
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2 Arrival
On approaching the city, you can hear a prelude that sets the main architectural theme: the variations in ground level. The path to the main entrance is shaped like a bridge over a water garden, thereby revealing the oor beneath.
THE PUBLIC ZONE
The Public Zone
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The two central areas, the ‘square’ and the ‘park’, are points around which the city pivots, and the architectural idea behind these also originates from the variations in ground level. In the square, the variations in ground level are translated into a gigantic stairway system, and in the park into a sloping terrain.
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Both areas are central to the working and social life of the city. The square also functions as the company’s representative area. Visitors arrive at the square, and the other sights of the city are naturally linked to this.
The Public Zone
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The square is the showcase of the city, the public area, which the city’s inhabitants naturally pass through. Here, they meet each other by chance or by agreement, for joint arrangements and festive occasions, also meeting those visiting the city.
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3 The Public Zone
The Square The stairway square is a rapid current. The steps gush downwards; at some points, plateaus find their footing and form small meeting points. Light streams down through openings in the glass cover of the atrium. Light is a building material creating a flowing and moving surface.
The Public Zone
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The Monolith The monolith is placed right in the middle of the stairway current. The three-storey-high monolith rises from the centre of the square and has the power to withstand the current. The solidity and organic shape of the monolith creates a contrast to the movement of the stairway square, to its light and bright character. The frieze encircling the monolith has been made by the artist Jes Fomsgaard, see the description on page 30. The interior of the monolith houses a 150-seat auditorium, while the top oor contains conference rooms.
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3 The Public Zone
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The Public Zone
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The Canteen The canteen’s transparent facades integrate outdoor with indoor, functioning as a delimitation to the outside world, yet still providing a link to this. The large mirror pond engulfs the canteen like a rippling wall-to-wall carpet. Changeability – one day still water reflecting buildings, light, trees and bushes; the next day dancing raindrops on the surface.
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Training CCI Europe offers training to the numerous domestic and international visitors in inspiring surroundings on the lower floor around the canteen and the stairway square. Each classroom has its own unique character: one with its fully transparent facade overlooking the water garden, the other with a view of the park.
THE QUARTERS
The Quarters
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The local areas – or quarters – of the city are flexible and changeable elements which can reflect the way in which the inhabitants work, socialise and organise themselves. The two top floors house all the workplaces, all with windows offering views of either the outside surroundings or the city’s park. The inhabitants move along the central points, the stairway square and the park, which also make up the vertical and visual connection between the floors. All over the city, the inhabitants have a fine overview of the activities taking place elsewhere in the city.
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The Park The park – or garden – has a remote location in relation to the representative functions of the city, serving first and foremost as the focal point for everyday life. Placed around the park, the local areas open up to it with their transparent facades. From the inside, you can watch the ‘slow seasonal play’ taking place in the park. The park is a Nordic garden with Scotch pine and bilberries, and the floor is covered with broken blue-grey stone, unmistakably inspired by Japanese gardens.
4 The Quarters
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Cores The local areas are serviced by seven cores, which, among other things, include kitchenettes, cloakrooms and toilets. The paths widen in connection with the cores, transforming into small squares – natural meeting places – where subcultures can thrive and develop.
The Quarters
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Reflection In connection with the cores, there are a number of “monk’s cells” for those wishing a place on their own to immerse themselves in study. The cells can be booked, if required.
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4 The Quarters
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The Quarters
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Stairways The stairways are unique. In addition to the gigantic stairway system that dominates the public area, there is a panoptical stairway situated in the local area furthest to the north. The stairways are like sculptures bathed in light, and the staircases connect the oors both physically and visually. Six cores with stairways make up the other vertical links of the city.
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4 The Quarters
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ART Jes Fomsgaard’s frieze on the monolith on the stairway square is 1.5 metres tall. It encircles the monolith approximately five metres from the top edge.
Art
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The frieze is a sort of investigation of the monolith, in which the artist first reveals and then restores the frieze. CCI Europe’s work in the fields of development and communication has served as inspiration for the decoration: a band of notes, measurements in fragments of plaster and lines and dots connected by different metals.
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Jes Fomsgaard Born 5 January 1948 – Frederiksberg, Copenhagen Member of the Academy of Beautiful Arts since 1990 Principal of The Funen Academy of Fine Arts 1992-99 Awarded the Eckersberg medal 2001 Selected exhibitions Louisiana, Humlebæk, Denmark Ny Carlsberg Glyptoteket, Copenhagen Kunsthallen Brandts Klædefabrik, Odense, Denmark DCA Gallery, New York, USA Galerie Asbæk, Copenhagen Maison du Danemark, Paris Sao Paulo, Brazil Port of History Museum, Philadelphia, USA
Art
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Selected public works The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen The Provincial Archives for Funen, Odense, Denmark The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, The School of Architecture, Copenhagen
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5 Art
Details
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DETAILS Light A hierarchy of light ensures that the city is well lit, but not overly so. A bluish navigation light marks the entrances and the vertical movements within the building. The trees in the central area of the city are emphasised by uplights.
Materials The materials include ashwood, jetburned granite, concrete cast in situ, glass and aluminium. The materials and surfaces are easy to maintain and will through patination look more beautiful with age. The level of detail is limited to achieve a sense of purity and clarity throughout.
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Details
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Signs One type of sign is in the form of large painted letters – painted directly on the walls. Visible even from long distances, the letters serve as navigation points. The use of letters in the city was a natural choice, given that the city is rooted in the old craft of letter printing. The name signs for the private offices are, however, flexible and reflect the moving around of the present inhabitants and the arrival of new.
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“A status palace – a peaceful place to work” The business section of the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten “We are pretty sure that our American customers, for example, will talk about this building when they are back in the States” Knud Bundgaard, Executive Vice President, CCI Europe
Under Construction
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Photo: Holger Bundgaard
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
When CCI Europe was still a hole in the ground at Ringvej Syd.
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Photo: Holger Bundgaard
The IT company CCI Europe in Højbjerg is ready for the future. From left: Knud Bundgaard, CCI Europe; Vilhelm Hvid, CEO, Aarhuus Stiftsbogtrykkerie; Jørgen Bach, Arkitektgruppen Aarhus; Henrik Burkal, CCI Europe; and Mogens Olofsen, Skanska A/S.
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Translation: Oversætterhuset, Århus Photographers: Ulrik Samsøe Figen, Stine Trebbien and others. Graphic Design: Kenn Hoff Lassen and Stine Trebbien, Arkitektgruppen Aarhus