BE INSPIRED VISIT AARHUS Press visit to Aarhus, Denmark August 28 – 30, 2013
EXPLORING ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN AARHUS
Aarhus’ new Harbourfront City District – on the former industrial northern docks - is developing rapidly, boasting among other things the award-winning Iceberg residential complex, with 208 apartments; the star-shaped Navitas building, due to house 2,500 students and researchers from several educational institutions; the impressive LightHouse* complex; and Dokk1, Aarhus’ new state-of-the-art multimedia centre and main library. Experience the buzz and activity of the new district - and take a closer look at the Danish architects’ alternative solutions with regard to city planning, and the design companies’ solutions for the design of urban spaces. We’ll also be visiting the new Moesgaard Museum building, amongst others, and seeing the newly-erected hothouses in our botanical gardens. The City of Aarhus’ impressive buildings will be presented by their architects.
AARHUS CYCLE CITY – INNOVATION AND CREATIVE SOLUTIONS
Danes love their bikes, with large numbers of children and adults using two-wheeled transport daily. Aarhus is one of the world’s best cities for cyclists, and there is an ambition to see an even larger number of people jumping on their bikes. Aarhus Cycle City is able to show off an array of creative methods for improving accessibility and safety for cyclists in Aarhus city centre. Aarhus is also famous for establishing the first ‘cycle streets’ in Denmark, and promotes innovative products for bicycle traffic and to support the ‘Aarhus Cycle City’ brand – including public cycling barometers, air pumps and ‘parking lots’.
LEADING POSITION IN SUSTAINABLE ENERGY
Aarhus boasts a range of world-leaders within the clean tech area. Companies located in Aarhus include Vestas, AVK, Amplex, Kamstrup and Cowi. Aarhus is known as the Capital of Wind Energy – and with good reason: nowhere else in the world will you find a similar concentration of companies covering the entire value chain within wind turbine design, development and production. The architects and designers develop and rethink sustainable buildings and solutions for urban development in Aarhus and worldwide.
AARHUS RIVER FRONT
Since Viking times, the Aarhus River has been very important to the City, providing the basis for its existence, and it continues to be among the most important container harbours in Northern Europe. The Aarhus River was covered over in the 1930s, but then in 1989 the Aarhus City Council decided to reopen the river as part of the City’s vision to develop a lively urban environment. This project has in recent years greatly contributed to creating a unique urban environment, thus making the city centre more attractive to both residents and tourists.
THE AARHUS FESTIVAL
Each year, the Aarhus Festival experiments with alternative use of urban spaces, and challenges city planners and politicians on the layout of public spaces. In 2010 one of the city’s central squares was turned into a forest. 130 trees rose from a bed of grass and moss, transforming the square into a breathing space in the midst of the urban bustle. During the 2012 Aarhus Festival, one of the city’s traffic centres was shut off for vehicles, allowing two small parks to be merged into one big city-park with hills and fountains. This year’s press visit will offer a chance to experience new ways of rethinking and transforming urban spaces.