An Exercise in Adding

THESIS REPORT

AN EXERCISE IN ADDING

RENOVATION & EXTENSION AT AALBORG DISTILLERY

Pit Herold Aarhus School of Architecture Studio Tectonic Culture

THESIS REPORT

AN EXERCISE IN ADDING

RENOVATION & EXTENSION AT AALBORG DISTILLERY Pit Herold Aarhus School of Architecture Studio Tectonic Culture

AS A PLACE CHANGES and it becomes necessary to repurpose, change and renew it, multiple emotions may be brought up in us – nostalgia, a sense of longing for what has been lost, but also hope – potential, the promise of opportunity. Sometimes however, it seems that any emotions for a place and its spaces are not dealt with, and that decisions on how to treat this place of nostalgia and potential, simply becomes one of cost and pragmatism.

I want to give value to the idea of approaching cities, building and landscapes as opportunities. When we see a disused, empty building in our private lives, it sparks imagination and creativity – what could it be turned into, how could it be used, what kind of life could be led there. We think of what it could become, not what could replace it. From the building professions viewpoint however, the story is a diferent one. May it be about vision, concept or economy, all noble endeavors, a place is seldom used “as found”.

Martina Baum from the ETH Zurich, suggests in one of her essays, the idea of a shift in how we treat building heritage – that we should not point out which buildings are worthy of preservation, but point to which buildings can be torn down. This suggestion implies a potentially way more sustainable culture where preserving a building, its historical, functional and aesthetical values, becomes the norm and not the exception. It also forces us as a culture to make a conscious decision as to when a building has outlived its usefulness.

This becomes especially interesting when considering that out of our almost 2.3 million buildings in Denmark, about nine-thousand are listed for protection and about 350.000 buildings have had their historical and contextual value discussed and defined (some are listed as a result, some are not). Does this imply that almost 2 million buildings are completely disposable/replaceable and hold no significance to our culture?

I want to believe otherwise, and that is the reason, this project has become – an Exercise in Adding.

CHAPTER ONE –INTRODUCTION

CITY OF AALBORG

CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS

Aalborg has become a full-blown university city with many diferent educational ofers, ranging from a variety of diferent courses at AAU (Aalborg University) to Technical- and Business Colleges, Art Schools and programs for further education.

The industrial history of the city however, remains very present – especially while walking along the waterfront; silos, chimneys, treatment plants and factories all meet the eye, and tell so much of the city’s history and character. Today, the number of production industries in Aalborg are unfortunately on a decline, and have been for some time, while the number of students in the city is on the rise.

This has not stopped the city from also developing a rich cultural side as well; Kunsten Art Museum, Musikkens Hus, the Utzon Center, multiple historical museums, theaters, cinemas and Nordkraft, a repurposed power plant which now hosts multiple cultural, commercial and public facilities.

And just this approach, repurposing an old industry building into something new, something diferent, is one that is very fitting for Aalborg with its current development. There are multiple examples of housing done this way, one highrise in two old silos on the other side of the ford, new educational facilities in Toldbodgade, restaurants, theaters etc.

The city and its inhabitants seem to value their industrial history that is such an important part of the city’s development, and the approach of repurposing these building is very symphatetic, and could be very benificial, both from a short-term but also from a long-term perspective.

As industries are closed, moved or become redudant, they leave large industrial building complexes behind – one of these is the old Aalborg Distillery.

Aalborg has a goal to become more cultural, and attract more students, which they now do every year. This increasing number of students means that there is a shortage of afordable student housing in Aalborg. The emphasis on culture recreational spaces and outdoor activities, escecially along the waterfront, has also created the ambition to lower car-trafc and get better public transportation in the city, as well as having good and safe pedestrian- and bicycleroutes.

Based on this development, a new lightrail is going to be established, opnening in 2021 and connecting the University Hospital in the South-East, with the Gigantium Arena in the North-west, going over Vestbyen, Aalborg University, the mid-city and the waterfront. It is expected that around 20.000 people will use this lightrail everyday, and that around 100.000 will use public transportation daily in the city.

AALBORG DISTILLERY

SITE

In 1872 multiple of Aalborg’s smaller distilleries collectively created ‘Aalborg Priviligerede Spritfabrik’ which during the next couple of years would take the leading position in danish alcohol production. In 1881 they became ‘De Danske Spritfabrikker’ (the Danish Alcohol Distilleries’) under C.F. Tietgen and C.A. Olesen and in 1923 they were granted monopoly to produce alcohol and yeast in the kingdom of Denmark, a monopoly that would last for 50 years.

In 1931 they combined their total production in the newly build production plant in the western part of Aalborg. The placement was ideal for the new factory – it was close to the main train routes and had train tracks going into the factory itself, for easier distribution.

It was also situated right at the edge of the water, Limforden, so that coal could be shipped by boat to the docks at the northern part of the plant.

The plant and factory building were drawn by Alf Cock-Clausen and were erected from 1928-31.

All buildings are placed around a central courtyard to which the trains had access through a large, very iconic gate in the south-eastern corner of the plant. The buildings themselves have a structure of reinforced concrete with fillings of red brick. Detailing of the building facades have been done in yellow brick and this combination, along with piping, connections, and round windows, are what give the site its characteristic look.

HISTORIC PRODUCTION

Potatoes arriving at Aalborg distillery, 1943.

FUTURE PLANS

FROM INDUSTRY TO CULTURE

This summer 2015, the production of alcohol in Aalborg historic distillery has stopped completely, as the distillery was bought up and the production has been moved to Norway.

In a joint venture, A. Enggaard, Ratos & Martin Nielsen will now develop the site into “mixed city-functions” which includes 40.000m2 of new developed apartments while the existing buildings from the late 1920’s, most of which stand as original with minor improvements, will be transformed into ofces, stores, two small production units, restaurants, and an art gallery. There is also proposed to build a large theater complex on the site.

There are several buildings being torn down to make room for the new appartment blocks and theater. Some of the buildings being demolished are from the 1920’s (that have had unfortunate renovations in the 1990’s) and also the old Estrella chips-factory to the west of the site, built in the 1970’s. At the same time the other, older factory buildings are in the process of becoming listed (going from a conservation value of three to one).

All in all, this historic production plant is going to undergo a big development in the coming years that will not only impact the site itself, but also have a great influence on the local area and the city. It moreover has the great potential of becoming both a landmark for the city and a showcase for how these types of industrial areas can be developed to a neighbourhood of very high quality.

It is the intention of this project to take point of departure in the proposed program provided by the developers and architects working with the site. However, the project will map and discuss the necessity of certain functions and programs in context to the surrounding area and city and propose possible replacements, improvements or removals if any are found. It will also more freely discuss and critically look at the amounts of squaremeters raised on the site to see, from a sustainable viewpoint, whether or not the proposed development is positive.

The proposed program includes 40.000m2 housing, separated into 150 student homes/apartments & 150 family homes/apartments, as well as stores (furniture, food), production (chocolate, alcohol), restaurants, ofces, an art gallery, a hotel and finally a theater. All in all it is proposed to have 75.000m2 building mass on the 47.500m2 big plot in the city-zone.

Generally, the housing is mostly contained to new development, while most cultural functions are integrated into the existing buildings from the 1920’s, and ofces spread out in new development and existing buildings.

The point of working from the same program that is proposed by the developers, is to have a more realistic basis for discussing actual needs, limitations and events of a certain place.

The

distillery seen from the southeastern corner of Strandvejen & C.A Olesensgade.October 2015.

The distillery site in the city.

The traintrack and planned lightrail.

Cultural insitutions.

Open, public outdoor-areas.

SØSPORTVEJ

SITE & PLACEMENT

URBAN & LOCAL

DANNEBROGSGADE

SKUDEHAVNSVEJ

VESTREHAVNEPROMENADE

KASTETVEJ

STRANDVEJEN

C A OLESENSGADE

NYBROGADE

SKIBBROGADE

AALBORG DISTILLERY is placed about 1 km from the citycenter of Aalborg. It is one of the most western points of what could be defined as the “urbanized” city-structure, as the city fabric starts dissolving as we move further west from the distillery.

The distillery was well placed in the 1930’s from a production viewpoint, as it was easy to access both by train and by boat and wasn’t to far of the city. The site is still well placed today from a viewpoint of recreational-, urban- and habitational considerations.

RECREATIONAL

The distillery is very close to the ford (Limforden) as well as one of the few bigger green parks in Aalborg, “Fjordmarken” just to the west of the traintracks.

The movement along the water has been a main focus of the city of Aalborg during the last few years, and has, at least further east, resulted in a very attractive waterfront with a swimming basin in the harbour, smaller gardens and parks, sports facilities and cultural oferings, namely the Utzon Center (often with free exhibitions), the new “Musikkens Hus” and very close by, the Nordkraft center.

The distillery lies at the other end of this recreational and cultural promenade, and this northern part of the harbour front remains less developed , less public, today – this is where the development of the new neighbourhood comes into play. One of the municipality’s goals reads “... to develop Aalborg around Limforden as a blue connecting element for the city”.

CONSIDERATIONS & QUESTIONS –

What role will the distillery have recreationally? Will it ofer both recreation, culture, sport and…? What atmosphere and activities can the distillery provide?

Avoid “privatizing” the waterfront, also unintentionally. How does Fjordmarken come into play ? – green strategy.

The southern harbour front before 2008.

The southern harbour front after 2008.

URBAN

On a cityscale, the distillery is proposed to house multiple cultural points of interest – a gallery (or kunsthal) with a large piece of land-/installation art in front as an “attractor”. It will also house artist- and craftsman workshops (as well as architect and designers), and a new theater for Aalborg Teater is proposed in the south-western corner of the site.

These proposals nicely coincide with the idea of a “cultural waterfront” that would give tourists, visitors and locals alike, a clear sense of where to go to find cultural events. This makes it very accessible and visible, both for cruise ship tourists who arrive at the waterfront, for people traveling through the city (by train or by car) and, with the planned light rail having multiple stops close to the waterfront, will become an easy destination to reach for locals as well (both by light rail, bike or on foot). Furthermore, a lot of great events can be held by the waterfront and around the distillery, and its an obvious place to have both indoor- and outdoor public events and facilities for the good of both the neighbourhood and the city at large.

The distillery is one of many urban development sites in the city, and its close to two other sites, “Skudehavnen” at the marina and “Vestre Fjordpark”, both to the west of the distillery. These development sites will together extend the city further west, and it is important that they do not become fringe areas, but good urban areas that are in interplay with the rest of the city, not separated from it. The lightrail might make this easier, but it also holds the danger of making the inner city more active and these new developed areas more passive. It is important that they gain their own qualities that make these neighbourhoods valuable in their own right.

CONSIDERATIONS & QUESTIONS –

Creating good public spaces, indoors & outdoors. Facilitate a diverse group of visitors. Create clear movement trough and across the site. Creating larger and smaller spaces around the distillery.

Illustration from the Aalborg Lightrail press-material.

HABITATION

The developers have proposed new dwellings with room for 150 student apartments, 150 apartments for smaller families and additionally, some more exclusive condominiums. From a viewpoint of habitation, the site and placement has great things to ofer as well.

The placement by the water is very attractive for obvious reasons. The distillery is also placed right next to both a technical high-school, a business college and parts of Aalborg University. Once more, it has great public transportation very close by (both locally and nationally), which will only become better once the light rail is finished. There is a supermarket just on the other side of the traintracks, but, considering the amount of development in the local area, additional shopping options might be needed somewhere in the nearby area.

Things to consider in regards to placement of housing is wind from the waterfront and noise from trafc on Strandvejen, one of the main trafc routes from east to west across the city, just to the south of the site.

It is also important to create a loose boundary between public and private spaces on the site, so that both habitants and visitors can feel at home. New buildings should respect the sites existing form, language and material qualities, but at the same time be modern. Thomas Birket-Smith who has been working with the local-plan for the site, puts it like this “The existing buildings high architectural quality obliges the new development to be of equal high quality but to remain contemporary…and can therefore depart from the existing buildings in material and expression” and also “…it is desirable with an architectural approach, where new and old ‘communicate’ in a contemporary and preferably challenging way”

Some of the existing buildings could become very attractive housing/appartments, (the top stories at the potato-washery and the malt house for example) so while most of new habitation is proposed to be located in new development on the site, the possibility should be considered. By planning the area with the amount of housing that has been proposed (all in all around 40.000m2), a number of difcult questions are raised – proposed high-rises, parking possibilities etc. At the same time, the proposal also puts great efort and money into preserving and renovating the existing buildings, giving good, high-quality public spaces and cultural ofers to the city and creating new buildings of very high quality.

CONSIDERATIONS & QUESTIONS –

Relation between publicity – privacy. Material and expression strategy for new buildings. Densification of the city. Not separating new and old –letting them interact, also in a physical way. “Industrial look” vs. “Modern look”

Neighbourhood, structure.

Neighbourhood, soft and hard surfaces.

Neighbourhood, Green spaces.

Neighbourhood, individual building shapes.

Restaurant or store.

Educational facility.

Main car-route. Main train connection to the North of Jutland.

Bicycle & pedestrian connections.

Planned bicycle- & pedestrian bridge. Planned railway. Trainstation (Aalborg Vestby)

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

The distillery is marked as being in a high-risk area for flooding in the future, due to climate changes and the close proximity to the ford.

The buildings from the 1930’s are listed, going from a heritage value of three to one.

The old industry site is an environment with high architectural and historic value, both for the local area, the city and danish culture at large.

Public access to all parts of the waterfront is very important to the plan of the municipality – creating good spaces along the route is important to both the city and local areas.

The site is marked as a “green focus area” which means that it should have both outdoor activities, public spaces as well as biological diversity.

Events.

Example of public spaces at the waterfront in Aalborg.

Gardens. Outdoor Activities.

CHAPTER TWO–NEIGHBOURHOOD

AALBORG DISTILLERY has always been one of the great symbols of Aalborg. With its placement, historic- and cultural value, everyone in the city has an imprinted image of how the distillery looks and what it means to them. But for a long time, the distillery has been kept quite private, as it was after all a production site. Guided tours and tastings where held for smaller groups, but the distillery was not a place for the public. That all is about to change, and while the city loses one of its most historic production, it gains a new neighbourhood, one that is already embeded in its heart.

All buildings remaining at the Distillery today.

Additions made to the historic buildings from 1931.

All buildings have been maintained well and updated continously.

The Estrella chipsfactory from 1977 was partly repurposed into a bitter factory in 2006.

THE BUILDINGS

CHARACTER & MATERIALS

The plant and original factory buildings were drawn by Alf Cock-Clausen and were erected from 1928-31. The distillery is today amongst the twenty-five most important industrial heritage sites in Denmark, and an impending listing will underline its historical and architectural value to both Aalborg and Denmark at large. But the distillery is not only one of the finest examples of industrial architecture in Denmark, it is also an early example of ”Architecture as Branding” – the buildings were designed to look sturdy, to communicate quality and trustworthiness, an approach that helped making the distillery and its products some of the most recognized (and earliest) danish brands.

The buildings from the late 1920’s are all build with a reinforced concrete skeleton with outer walls of red brick. Roofing is done with roof membrane (asphalt roof) on all the original buildings except for the old administration building, which has a classic red tile roof.

There are multiple unique characteristics to these older buildings – ranging from copper details at the roof, the large neon sign saying AALBORG AKVAVIT, the round window openings with the six-sided star frames, the physical and functional connections between the diferent buildings, the color-coding throughout the complex and the steel- and aluminium tubes and pipes going from one building to another, giving the whole area an industrial appearance, but also becoming a very clear and decorative spatial element, both inside and outside.

The old Estrella factory (later bitter factory and storage) to the west of the site, consists of multiple buildings build into “one mass” over multiple years. The most southern storage room, even has its construction directly intertwined with the construction of the original malt house. Here the construction is made up of concrete beams, columns and trusses made of concrete with embedded steel beams. In the storage rooms there is no real foundation, but an asphalt built up. It gives the space the character of a covered outdoor space.

The facades are simply concrete slabs stacked against the beams and fastened. These slabs are smooth on the inside and have sand and gravel added to the concrete towards the outside, giving the factory a very distinctive ’70’s look’. The part of the factory farthest to the north has a concrete foundation and windows in the facade. The whole snack factory has hundreds of roof lights distributed over the large surface area it covers.

The whole place is pulsating with atmosphere and history, and it is very clear that this is a very special place – one that is truly worthy of preservation.

VIEW FROM THE NORTH

From farthest left to farthest right –(in the back) Water cleansing station, Boilerworks, Chimney, Mechanical Workshop, Main Distillery Building, Walkway, Malthouse (with silos), Bitterfactory.

Waterfront

Northern

Southern

production square – from left to right: Boilerworks, Bitter-Factory, Adminstration building, Garagebuilding.

to the north of the distllery. View to the west with trainbridge.

production square – from left to right: Malthouse, Walkway, Main Distillery building with distillery Tower. In the front: Package Building and cantina.

CATHEDRALS OF INDUSTRY

The sense that the factory has been a place of pride and of quality is visible and can be sensed everywhere in the halls and spaces. Louis Becker from Henning Larsen in a piece for ’Kulturarvstyrelsen’ called these spaces in the distillery ”The Cathedrals of Industry”. A very pictoresque term that seem to describe the lightfilled rooms very well.

CLEAR TECTONICS

The construction in the 1930’s buildings is reinforced concrete beams and columns with outer walls in massive brick. The construction size and shape varies from building to building and story to story, depending on the load, production space and roof type.

PRODUCTION TRACES

Tanks, pipes, electrical wires, lamps and other traces of industrial production are all part of what gives the destillery its distinctive character, and these traces should be kept. Even if they have lost they original purpose, they still tell a story of the production, history and development of the place.

FLEXIBILE SPACES

The complex has multiple quite ”neutral” rooms that can be used for many diferent things. Seing these spaces as possibilities is easily done, and they hold a lot of potential in their flexibility. This particular room is the bottom floor of the Malt House.

ADDITION

It is clear that the management of the distillery have had a very pragmatic approach to new needs or conditions; whether it was adding a new story, connecting a new building or removing part of a wall, this was what was done. It gives the complex a very physical sense of progress and development.

Top: New pipes to the Bitter factory, going across the outer courtyard.

Middle: New story added to the boiling-room (with round windows). Garage fitted in-between to buildings.

Right: Neon sign added to the roof of the distillery building. Another buliding and story added to the washery.

SPATIAL BOUNDARIES

The connecting pipes that used to transport all sorts of liquids and gasses still help create a very strong atmosphere as well as defining both indoor and outdoors spaces and establishing a special and strong connection between the old industry buildings. They can give a very beautiful play of light and shadow on the facades of the buildings as well.

ONE OF THE STORAGE FACILITIES of the chips-factory set to be demolished. It has a point foundation at each column, but is closer to a covered outdoor space in its construction. The concrete construction is quite elegant in its simplicity. The facades are windowless but the rooflights let in some natural light.

The space is currently being used by temporary inhabitants who arrange parties in the old facilities and who have freely furnished the space. A ”von-unten” approach that we can learn from, though this one is a more ’primitive’ approach.

In a way that is very typical for the place, the construction of the original storage facility has been added directly and brutally into the walls of the Malt House. A pragmatic approach that speaks of another side of the distillery that might not be the most apparent and holds beauty in its own right.

Buildings kept & repurposed by developer in future proposal. Total of 12.851 m2

Buildings razed for new development in developers proposal. Total of 14.053 m2

Buildings kept & repurposed in this project. Total of 26.904 m2

THE CHIPS FACTORY

RESOURCES

AND

VALUE IN THE

OVERLOOKED

The decision to keep the old Estrella factory (later transformed into bitterfactory) and making it the main focus of this project is based both on a sense of appreciation of the beauty of the existing structures, the functionality of the big spans, the large, flexible spaces and the robust construction, as well as a commitment to the experiment that is complete resource-based conservation –what possible result can we achieve from re-evaluating all buildings and spaces on a one-to-one scale, actually walking through them, sensing them and thinking in potentials.

As the project progressed, it became clear that this is where the main focus and interest of the projects lies – in the one building that nobody else saw a direct value in, and that is set for complete demolishment by the developers.

In almost the exact footprint of the un-founded building, a new theater is proposed (on the backside of the Malt House). I want to show that these almost 14.000m2 that the old bitter-factory represent, can be turned into something special, while still meeting the expectations and requirements from both the developers and the municipality on what kind of place the distillery could become.

Here it seems fitting to briefly mention my decision making and reasoning behind the project moving forward –

I chose not to deeply engage with the existing buildings from the 1920’s, the ones in red brick. I visited the distillery five times in total and met a lot of diferent people interested in the project – heritage architects, developers, project leaders, carpenters, young entrepeneurs. One thing they all had in common was a deep admiration and appreciation of the beauty of these red-brick buildings. And I completely agree – it is astonishing to walk among these beautifully crafted walls and ponder the various functions of buildings, silos, pipes and tanks. It does however leave me confident in the fact that everybody is interested in creating the best possible project for these beautitful, historic buildings.

But it seems. no one is interested in these storage- and factory facilities. And it might be easiest to tear them down and build something new – but this project sets out to discover what these overlooked spaces, structures and resources can become, if they are treated with the same attention and admiration as their older neighbours. It seems to me that these have a lot to ofer to the distillery neighbourhood alongside the historic industrial monuments. That is why the the factory is my main focus for this project.

Additionally, the project is very much a ”von-unten” approach. The spaces are ultimately what inspire the use, treatment and functional program of the project.

THE NEW BUILDINGS

As the project covers a total area of over 47.000m2 (with about 75.000m2 building mass), some areas of the project will still be very general in my final proposal. I do feel, however, that I want to give you a feeling for what kind of place this could become. How it would look, feel and what kind of atmosphere could be created here, and through which means this could possibly be created.

The new building developments will be build with a base in a heavy material. Preferably brick. As the whole original distillery complex is build in red-brick, imitating this material choice could be critized for being un-inspired and perhaps both inappropriate and unmodern. However, I believe that a few things could be done to make this the perfect material for new development at the distillery.

Firstly, the buildings should be placed in such a way that they break down the scale of the current outdoor spaces at the distillery – these were meant for trains and trucks, not people.

By using the same material but in patterns and expressions un-familiar to the destillery area today, a coherent experience of the destillery is created at first glance, but one that still holds room for astonishment and exploration. Having larger windows that difer from the single-layer glass windows with steel mullions of the original brick buildings, already create a very tangible diference of historic layers, but other means could be used to create distinctions – rounded corners, shifting brick patterns, details etc.

The top one or two stories (depending of the height of the particular building) are made as ”light-stories”. These have a, prefarably, wooden construction, a wooden beam construction for decks and a cladding of either zinc or copper sheets. This would give the buildings a lighter expression from the outside as they would reflect the sky, and make the buildings less top-heavy. This expression is not strange to Aalborg , as multiple of the buildings in the inner cities have these top stories with a copper cladding that hold a lot of character.

I also propose that some of the original destillery buildings could receive new additions in the form of these light stories, mainly the main distillery building and the Malt House.

In this proposals, there are no high-rises. All buildings have no more than seven stories. I don’t think building high-rises this close to the waterfront is advisable, though an old silo on the other side of the ford (on the Nørre Sundby side) has been converted into a +15 story high-rise. However, the main reason for not making any high-rises (though one is proposed by developer with some interest from the city), is to keep the feeling of a neighbourhood – to have diversity and a relatable scale that creates a safe and intimate environment around the Distillery area.

Østerbrogade

Utzon Center, Aalborg – Brick and aluminium, Jørn Utzon.

120, Copenhagen, C.F. Møller.

Light wooden construction meets heavy construction.

Vesterbro, Aalborg Light Stories.

Vesterbro, Aalborg Light Stories.

Brick – new and old. Farimags School.

OUTDOOR SPACES

SPACES & GREEN STRATEGY

As the whole site today is covered with a tar mat, it was important to have some kind of image of what kind of green treatment the site would undergo as well, especially since it is marked as space with a ”green focus area” by the muncipality. Creating a connection for pedestrians under the trainbridge to connect with Fjordmarken to the west of the site could make both places more attractive. These are the additional initiatives.

Bohusläns’ Archipelago as inspiration for the waterfront. Areas could be designed in such a way that natural places to sit and to rest are created, as well as holding the water back from Limfordens occasional (and seasonal) floodings.

Church in Sicaly – Outdoor spaces between structures can become quite attractive and have great significance to a place.

Park in France –Benches and furniture are created as objects laying on the tarmat, to increase mobility and underpin the industrial character. Massive wood or concrete.

Industriepark Duisburg – Creating gardens and parks with the historic industry as a backdrop, enhances the experience of both.

Parking Lot, Germany– Breaking up the tar mat to plant trees and allow for wild growth, will give a needed contrast to the place.

EXAMPLES ON SKETCHING PROCESS

Meeting with the waterfront and useage/transformation of the old garage building to the northern part of the distillery.

View from the gate in the south-eastern corner into the Distillery Courtyard.

DISPOSITION, FIRST MID-CRITIQUE:

For the first midsemester critique, the following where the main points of the disposition:

1) All buildings at the site today are kept, including the 13.000m2 chips-/ bitterfactory, which would undergo a transformation (more on this on the following pages)

2) Most new development would be directly build up against this factory, in order to create a shared insulated wall as the factory today is not insulated (except for minimal insulation in the roof)

3) The large outdoor space by the waterfront would be split up into smaller spaces, by tactical placement of new buildings.

4) New stories are added to the Malt House and main distillery building. This results in a total m2 very close to what is proposed by the developers.

5) The Garage building and packaging building are transformed and used for public functions (details not necessary at this point)

6) The arrivals from all side are emphasized and spaces are created around them.

7) ”Fjordmarken” is continued onto the Distillery grounds, where the trainbridge becomes an industrial element in this new, extended park.

THEATER PAVILION Can be used for outdoor performances in fitting seasons. Marks a point of arrival from the promenade.

BICYCLE REPAIR SHOP New routes for pedestrians and bicyclists across the ford will make the place a new midpoint between the inner city and Nørre Sundby.

THE MARKETPLACE Using the existing packaging building and the old cantina/safety shelter, a market-hall is created with an outdoor space for weekly markets.

ARRIVAL I Tourists by boat, strollers using the waterfront recreationally, neighbourhood visitors, locals. People arriving by boat, bike or on foot.

ARRIVAL III Tourists by train, visitors for specific show or visit, inhabitants. People arriving by car, train or on feet.

ARRIVAL II Tourists by train, visitors for specific show or visit, most arrivals from the city center.

INTEGRATIONS OF FJORDMARKEN Instead of creating a backside that has to be “solved”, a connection under the trainbridge to Fjordmarken is established. The Trainbridge becomes an industrial element through the park, instead of its border.

ENTRANCES Through housing.

DISPOSITION, SECOND MIDCRITIQUE:

For the second midsemester critique, the following where the main points of the disposition:

1) All buildings at the site today are kept. However, only half of the chipsfactory is used as today, while the other half is used to create covered outdoor spaces of diferent kinds.

2) New development is created mostly to make new urban spaces as well as defining the borders of the distillery.

3) The view all the way from to Limforden is kept throughout the distillery and a main urban ”street” is created.

4) New stories are added to the main distillery building. This results in a total m2 a few thousand m2 less than what is proposed by the developers.

5) The Garage building and packaging building are transformed and used for public functions (details not necessary at this point)

6) This disposition is more fluent across the neighbourhood, but lacks interesting spaces and definition.

FINAL DISPOSITION:

For the final critique situation, this will be close to the final disposition of the site that will be presented.

ATMOSPHERE

SKETCHES: Materials, scale & spaces.

”(it)...is not a preservation project and not a new architecture. Two conditions that are usually kept separate here confront each other in a state of permanent interaction –ofering an ensemble of fragments that will not congeal into a single image, or allow any part to dominate the others. New, old, horizontal, vertical, wide, narrow, white, black, open, enclosed -- all these contrasts establish the range of oppositions that define the project. By introducing so many spatial variables, the complexity of the architecture will promote an unstable, open programming, where art and architecture will benefit from each other’s challenges." Rem Koolhaas on the Fondazione Prada.

THETHEATERFACTORY

ROOF LIGHTS

TAR ROOFING

Double layer tar with 90mm insulation on steel sheets.

CONCRETE TRUSSES Reinforced with steel profiles.

CONCRETE COLUMNS 300mm x 600mm ASPHALT “FLOOR” 30+50mm asphalt, 150mm gravel.

STRUCTURAL CONCRETE ELEMENTS 300mm. Coarse facade with gravel, smooth backside. PROTECTIVE STEEL FACADE

CONCRETE FLOOR 200mm reinforced concrete floor, 150mm gravel.

WALKING THROUGH THIS space in what used to be the bitter-factory, the openings to the space, the hanging pipes, bridge and the completely column-free space (made possible by the concrete TT-modules in the ceiling) holds the potential for something extraordinary. But what? Thinking of the proposed program by the developers, the first thing that came to mind was the big theater that they suggest to establish in place of these old factory-halls. The space could become a wonderful theater space.

The city of Aalborg has recently established multiple cultural ofers with help from the ministry of culture – the Utzon Center, Nordkraft and, most recently,

Musikkens Hus. In this sense, getting another completely new theater funded might not be the easiest task at this point in time.

At the same time, there is a beautiful, historic theater (Aalborg Theater) close to the city-center and the train station. These are the people who have shown interest in moving out into a possible, new-erected theater at the Distillery if it would be build. But then a new use would have to be found for the old theater. Additionally, building another huge cultural facility might just not be what Aalborg needs at this point. That is why I suggest a diferent approach to what the theater in the Distillery Neighbourhood could be.

STRUCTURALITY USING AND DEVELOPING THE FACTORY

The chips-factory consists of multiple diferent construction methods. Each of these diferent structures will be used in diferent ways that coincide with their capabilities, the fitting programs (based on available spaces and their functionality, potential and relevance for the distillery). The tar-roof and facade slabs have been removed on all parts of the factory, as none of them where insulated and it in multiple places had large cracks. The structures and there re-invention is the focus of this page.

STRUCTURE 1: This part of the factory used to be a bitter-factory for production of bitters. It consists of large, columnfree spaces, made possible by a very solid roof construction of concrete TT-modules, held up by a post and beam construction. It is founded with a slab construction and has possibly been slightly heated during the production period. IN THE PROJECT: This part will house the new theater with two stages, backstage facilities, a café, lobby, sewing room, wardrobe etc.

STRUCTURE 2: Has been used as a ”covered outdoor space” for storage and packaging. It has no foundation, but a quite solid post, beam and truss construction made in reinforced concrete with visible steel beam-profiles. IN THE PROJECT: This part will house a large workshop for one or two companies or enterprises, as well as servicing the theater with their workshop needs.

STRUCTURE 3: Has been used also been used as a ”covered outdoor space” for storage and packaging. It has no foundation, and only a light (but very elegant) construction, again consisting of concrete reinforced with steel-beams with visible profiles. IN THE PROJECT: This part will be transformed into a new greenhouse, servicing the needs of a small restaurant as well as being rented out and used for markets, winter-events etc.

STRUCTURE 4: The Malthouse has been used for grain storage and for the production of malt. It has the characteristic red and yellow brick facade and a sturdy reinforced concrete structure. IN THE PROJECT: The bottom floor will be used for a restaurant and a market hall. The other floors will be transformed into appartments (with an additional added story in a light material).

AALBORG THEATER

TODAY AND TOMORROW

Aalborg Theatre opened in 1878 and has since been a permanent establishment in the cultural scene of Aalborg. Today, the theatre is the workplace of more than a hundred people, connected to the theatre in one way or the other. It has a total of four stages on which can be played, two of these stages however, are in diferent buildings in the same neighbourhood, ”Lille Scene” & ”Transformator”.

STORE SCENE is the oldest theater stage in Aalborg. Today it is used for bigger theater productions. It has an orchestra pit, backstage, stage tower and a workshop space. It has a total of 460 seats.

CAFÉ SCENEN is for informal sketches, cabarets and similar performances with a sitting audience. Very close contact. Est. 50 seats + standing audience.

TRANSFORMATOR – The transformator stage is described this way by Aalborg Theater ”Transformator comes very close to you and you come close to Transformator. It is approachable and without filter – with a beer in one hand and the heart in the other.” Estimated 50 seats.

LILLE SCENE is in the corner-building of at the end of the street. In 1983 the building was planned for demolishment but the theater bought it up and repurposed it into a new stage for the theater. Audience- and stage facilities are flexible and can be reconfigured from show to show. It has a total of 125 seats.

I SUGGEST that instead of building a completely new theater at the distillery, the original, historic theater is kept in the city-center where it is today. This theater will continue to function and put up shows and plays. Meanwhile the ”Lille Scene” and ”Transformator” will move to the new ”Theater Factory” that this project will suggest and establich. Here a more free and experimental theater can blossom in the heart of the distillery neighbourhood.

Store scene

Transformator

Lille Scene

VISIT AT SVALEGANGEN

INDPENDENT THEATER IN AARHUS

TOUR AND INTERVIEW WITH METTE RØNNE IN OCTOBER 2015

Gammel Sal –200 seats. Ny Sal – 149 seats. Lille Sal (Café) – est. 50 seats.

Small appartments for guesting actors and staf

”Don’t be ashamed to be a theater – everything doesn’t have to be so polished. Have a space you can be spontaneous in, a place you can explore.”

Sowing room and wardrobe. Remote storage outside the theater for most costumes and scenography. Additional fitting rooms for resowing/fitting clothes.

OWN WISHES AND GENERAL ADVICE

Elevators to all stages. Disabled access to all stages.

Flexibility – both backstage in ofces, project rooms etc but also on the stages and for the audience facilitites (seating).

People ”noise” is harder to insulate against than machine noise, doors, staircases etc, talking and happy voices can be quite penetrating.

Good view for the technical staf (controllers) to the stage. Following and hitting queues is already hard enough.

You can never have too much storage.

Communication-systems to lockers, halls etc. Following the development of the show for staf and actors is very important.

A ”real” restaurant – ”Dinner and a Show”

”Don’t be ashamed to be a theater – everything doesn’t have to be so polished. Have a space you can be spontaneous in, a place you can explore.”

Be able to take a shower, boil some water, change clothes for actors and staf – kitchen and bathrooms are very nice to have.

If you have some kind of serving (café, bar, restaurant) make sure you have a dishwasher and a kitchen in conjunction to it so that you don’t have to move between kitchens the whole evening.

Project ofces, copy-room, general flexible ofce spaces. A space where you can feel ”at home” and have your stuf, at least for a while. Not as a transit-space but still connected.

ROOM PROGRAM

THE THEATER FACTORY IN THE DISTILLERY

Based on the interview with Mette Rønne, the knowledge of the disposition of the factory, two books and my own intentions and ambitions for the place, these are the overall rooms connected to the theater:

PUBLIC: Main stage, 200-300 seats. Small Stage, 150-200 seats. (both stages with flexible seating) Ticket Sale. Bar. Lobby. Wardrobe. Toilet Facilities.

NEARBY: Outdoor stage Restaurant

REST OF THEATER: Workshop. Practice rooms. Backstage areas. Storage space for scenography. Costume. Space for technical equiment. Space for operators. Sowing Rooms. Adminstration. Toilets. Kitchen Area(s). Appartment for 6-10 people.

Svalegangen, lille scene.

THE URBAN THEATER

Ever since people started building their own structures in the world, a framing of spatial boundaries has taken place. In these spaces a less formal exchange could take place then what the more intimate homes allowed for. This shaping of less-private spaces can be seen in multiple forms throughout history, eventually becoming the city – a more or less massive organism that, as a result of it privatized borders, the homes and houses, becomes a succesion of more-or-less public spaces, space that still today allow for a less intimate exchange. But something else happened along the way –the curious animal that is the human being had created a stage for himself –a scene for human life, urban exchange, events!

The image by Giovani Mansueti depicts what seems to be a religious procession trough a town square, framed by decorated houses and a church on the righthand side of the image. Multiple observers are spectating in the streets, but what is really interesting is the way the buildings surrounding the eventful sight almost become spectators themselves – opening up and allowing people to observe the event; but as they do, they themselves become the interest of spectation – an urban theater where everybody takes part both as an observer and as an event.

Florian Beigel’s Half-Moon Theater used this as the basis for a small theater in a in-fill vproject in London. Building facades inside the theater, he created the atmosphere of an outdoor square, one that might put the actor and the spectator on more even ground. People could sit in the window-sills or in a flexible seating arrangement on the ground floor – spectating and being spectated.

Giovani Mansueti, ”Miracle at San Lio” (1494)

Florian Beigel, Half-Moon Theater, London, 1985.

ORCHESTRATION & STAGING

THE ART OF PIQUEING AND THE UNEXPECTED

From the moment the Theater-Factory first meets the eye, it will introduce an uncertainty and a curiosity in its by-passers and visitors, creating a theater experience that exceeds the physical boundaries of the two stages.

First and foremost, the theater itself becomes a staging of what used to be first a snack factory and since a bitter-factory. It orchestrates the spatial and structural elements in a way that does not only make possible the new use as a theater, but does it in a way that highlights the clashes in this change of program, strengthens the program and hightlights the existing spatial conditions. Translucency, and openness, the concepts of the ’urban theater’, the cutting of holes and establishing of ”buildings within the building”, the traces of industrial production everywhere in the theater spaces, useage of textiles, a liberal distribution of what spaces are open to the visitors and a big range and flexibility in measures that the thespians can utilize all contribute to this goal.

Gerhard Richters painting of the Alster, very well expresses the image that will be perceived of the new Theater, either when driving by in a train, on a bike, or walking along the facades as a pedestrian. An uncertainity, a movement, a glowing and a curiosity. A sense that ”something is going on in there”.

Gerhard Richter, ’Alster’, 1963

Many of the factories first contact surfaces (the multiple facades) will be made of a translucent polycarbonate that at the same time is slightly transparent. This can create multiple efects that allow for the theater to be perceived in diferent ways – it will look vastly diferent in nighttime, where the building glows from within, throwing lights and shadows onto the facades and expose its depth, than in daytime where movement, shapes and colors will be most visible, along with reflections of the sky . The theater could also play with setting a certain mood for the diferent plays or shows it is setting up – direct or indirect illumination, shadowplay, slight coloring of the light, props, etc.

This translucent building skin will replace the thick and introvert concrete slabs that create the outer boundary of the factory today, an give it a very new and diferent expression towards the outdoor spaces. Just like today, most spaces inside will be unheated or minimally heated, and most heated spaces are placed in the heart of the new theater dispostion of the plan, and most in the first floor so that they can capitalize on any excess heat from the ground floor.

In this sense, this polycarbonate climate screen, will ofer all the necessary functions that the conrete slabs

fulfill today, while giving the theater the necessary update in terms of openness and appeal that will attract visitors and give them a theater experience that is unique.

Practically, common polycarbonate sheets have a u-value that is around 0.83 W/m2K at 55mm. That is still way to high for a heated space, but for the unheated spaces it is fine, and will create a milder climate just on the other side. Standard polycarbonate sheets have a width of 2100mm and are extruded in lenghts up to 6000mm.

In the southern end of the factory, the structure will turn into a greenhouse, again covered with polycarbonate instead of glass, as it does has a few advantages –Polycarbonate of good quality is still cheaper than glass. While glass has a higher clarity that does not fade, polycarbonate can actually help provide plants with a bit of insulation, which keeps them warm longer during the night and extends the time the greenhouse can be actively used, therby making it more fitting for public use, with better temperature control. The slightly difused light can also help prevent scorching of younger plants in the summer.

Example of polycarbonate facade – Workshop, Deppisch Architekten, 2010

DAY: Reflection, colors, shapes.

NIGHT: Glow, lights, shadows, depth.

CUTTING AND FRAMING

OBSERVATION AND MANIPULATION

Manipulation has a negative connotation that should be briefly set aside, for the manipulation that is here discussed, relates to the transformation of one object, space, building or program, into another.

The existing factory building is, as mentioned, made out of three diferent types of (main) construction, that are being used in three diferent ways, staged and framed by their new users and the spatials additions made for these. But the factory also has multiple inner walls, most in concrete, some in brick. These walls today completely seperates the large spaces from eachother, going from floor to ceiling.

Treating these walls as ”inner facades”, holes that resemble what we could expect to see around us in our cities are cut, creating the event of the urban theater inside the theaters two stages. Adding platforms and free movement to the backside of these walls, creates something that can be both scenography, spectator seat or technical space – having the flexibility to create very diferent ways for the spectators to experience a play.

This cutting of holes and framing of construction is a key theme to the whole project, where the theater is expanded beyond its physical limits – walking under and trough the building to get to a garden, cutting holes in an outside wall that used to be inside, covering spaces to create semi-indoor spaces – all of this is not just for show, it has pragmatic and sensible functions, but it at the same time creates a feeling of liberty and uncertainity that invites everyone to explore and take part, both in the theater-related activities, but also the workshop, the garden, the marketplace, as well as creating movement through and across what used to be the closed of factory-building.

Imagine a play that takes place in diferent appartments, a school and an outdoor courtyard – all these spaces could be created around the spectators, and they might become part of one or more of these settings; or an interpretation of Rome and Juliet; or a circus-style-show in the middle with all of the spectators in the ”facades” Along with light, projection, fabrics and additional scenography, fantastic settings could be created in these spaces.

Diagram 1 –Focus on main scene.

Diagram 2 –Focus on sub-scene.

Collage sketch –Main stage.

Collage sketch –Small stage.

MAIN DRAWING: PLAN

1:500 – RESERVATION FOR CHANGES

MAIN DRAWING: SECTION

1:500 AND SAMPLES OF 1:100 FORMAT

MAIN DRAWING: CROSS SECTION

1:500, THROUGH GREENHOUSE AND MARKET HALL

Collage sketch –Workshop, front space.

SUMMARY & CONCLUSION REFLECTION AND PROCESS

In point form, these are the basic decisions and steps of development the project has undergone:

FASCINATION – the choice of site.

DOCUMENTATION & INFORMATION – meetings, history, images, drawings, impressions.

PROBLEM FORMULATION – the wish to work out from the existing proposal and reimagine the existing buildings.

MASTERPLAN – Volume studies and the decision to keep everything, including the chips-factory, observation of potentials.

THE FACTORY – Analysis and working models, understanding the structure.

UNDERSTANDING AND EXPANDING – Development of program based on spaces, potentials and structures (theater, greenhouse, workshop, market hall)

SPACES – spatial strategies and useage of structures.

Defining the scope of this project was probably the single most difcult thing about the process. This resulted in a somewhat fragmented process – redrawing and understanding existing buildings that were not directly used in the final project, designing the waterfront, working with re-use of other buildings etc. However, all these diferent endeavours all contributed to the understanding of the place and the approach to the final design of the Theaterfactory.

I am not very experienced with masterplan design, as it is not something I have worked very much with, not at the school and not in practice, and I hope it is clear that this is just a general suggestion as my main focus is with the structures, the uses of existing spaces and their impact on the daily life of people in a one-to-one scale.

In spite of these difculties, I do believe this project does provide some answers to the main points of the problem formulation:

GIVE VALUE TO and expand on obvious and hidden potentials in the existing building mass and atmosphere.

DEVELOPING a project that relates to an actual, ongoing process and uses this as the basis for a healthy discussion.

CHALLENGING classical concepts of preservation and resourcefulness.

SUPPORTING the sites unique architecture and history in the best possible way, both in material, construction and aesthetical questions.

ACHIEVE a better understanding of the consequences of extending, renovating and/or demolishing a building or a building part, and the economic and socioeconomic impacts of these decisions.

As the last word I would just like to leave you with a little snippet of text from last semesters essay on ”Building Scavenging” –

”Resistance is an interesting term in our building culture today. It is often seen as a negative thing from the developers side of things and a necessary thing seen from the side of the people who are putting up a fight. Resistance however, is not about anti-development – it is about wanting to be part of something still – to understand changes and keeping the history and memorys inhabited in a place. A fear of losing connection with a place. It is possible to expand without destroying – this is what we truly should work on. At best, architects today become diplomats between development and resistance. If resistance becomes the norm, then development can ensue when all parties welcome it – and it becomes a collective goal instead of a battle of interests.”

BOOKS:

”Theater Design” by G.E. Izenour ”Rum och Teater” by Per Edström & Pentti Piha ”The Architecture of Happiness” by Alain de Botton

REFERENCES:

Lina Bo Bardi, especially Teatro Oficina Lacaton & Vassal, especially Palais de Tokyo and Nantes School of Architecture ”As Found” and Peter & Allison Smithson The Half Moon Theater, Florian Beigel Fondazione Prada, OMA Historic Photoraphs by A. E. Andersen

THANKS

TO: Hans Christensen Andrew Clancy Niels Nygaard Henning Larsen Architects Iben Holm Mogens Morgen & NordMak Aalborg Kommune Mette Rønne & Svalegangen

Gary Schuberth