Town House, Kingston University London Grafton Architects

The soft poetry of the architectural intervention gives the educational component its force, as an urgent invitation rather than a dragging need

In rural Denmark, Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter shines a bright light on local tradition with Kornets Hus

LEFT The grain house is a new centre for disseminating the Jutland region’s historic food and farming culture. Photos Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter

ABOVE The austere architecture translates into a remarkable shape that stands out without overshadowing the grain fields in which it is situated.

RIGHT TOP The wood-clad teaching and exhibition spaces are marked by an attention to natural lighting and increased volume of the skylights.

RIGHT BOTTOM The interior has been designed to frame the outward view onto the fields and open up onto the terrace. The public spaces evolve around the central bread oven. HJØRRING The history of grain and its cultivation is crucial to the history of humankind, with storage and cultivation describing milestones in social progress. As one of the most continental regions in Denmark, the tradition of grain culture and products is even more tangible for the Jutland region, stemming from a deep connection between settlers and the land. The Kornets Hus’ mission is to disseminate this rich local food story and farming tradition to newer generations, building on the existing clientele of the farm and bakery, whose land holds the novel inspiration centre. The building is simple yet distinct, contrasting with the gentle landscape and thus highlighting the fields in which it is immersed. Organised around a simple plan, both the interior and exterior are made of oak, radiating warmth, simplicity and well-known association to Nordic design. As the architects explain, references in architectural form come from ‘research into the region’s rich landscape, folk culture and agricultural heritage – the centre being defined by its two brick-clad light wells, which reinterpret baker’s kilns.’ Indeed, the public spaces dedicated to teaching are centred around a large bread oven. Meanwhile, the boundaries between inside and outside are blurred. Light – a source of vital energy for both grain and humans – enters through large windows giving onto the fields.