ØRESTAD COLLEGE - architeria.eu

ØRESTAD COLLEGE – ØRESTAD, COPENHAGEN

The Ørestad College is the latest ‘gymnasium’ (college or upper secondary school) in Copenhagen, built in
the Danish capital’s development area; Ørestad. The demographic development in greater Copenhagen
has resulted in a remarkable growth of the 16 – 19 year group, with Copenhagen needing 50% more
study places, and this led to a decision to build a new college in Ørestad City; the new city centre for
the entire Ørestad.

Ørestad College offers fields of study within science, social science and human science. The purpose of the
college is to realize the latest reform’s (2005) aims to strengthen and renew the students’ professional
capabilities, to prepare the students better for university and to enhance the science aspect. This college
has chosen a profile of media, communication and culture, and with wireless internet all over the school and
with laptops for all students - hence the knick-name the Virtual College.

The brief was deliberately formulated without traditional terms for rooms, and left much to the architects’
interpretation. The proposal was therefore not so much a response to a specifically defined task as an
element in the necessary development of the idea of a Danish college.

Four boomerang‑shaped storey decks rotate in relation to each other like the shutter of a camera. They
form the superstructure; the overall framework of the college, and provide space for the college’s four study
zones. Each zone is on one level, providing organisational flexibility, with the option of micro adjustment
to create different spaces, learning environments and group sizes. The rotation of the storey decks projects
a part of each deck into the high central hall. This part is the so‑called X-zone; a spatial expression of the
colleges’ ambition to promote interdisciplinary expertise between study zones with physical and visual links.

The storey decks are open towards a central core, where a broad main staircase winds its way upwards to
the roof terrace. The main staircase is the heart of college educational and social life; the primary connection
up an down, but also a place to stay, watch and be seen. Three ‘mega columns’ form the primary load bearing
system, supplemented by a number of smaller columns positioned according to structural requirement, not as
part of a regular grid. As a result, each floor has few permanent elements and can be laid out and rearranged
almost completely at will. The mega columns contain secondary rooms, staircases and vertical technical space.

The superstructure is supplemented by a series of newly‑developed ‘room furniture’, which accommodate
the need for the flexible and temporary room arrangements and learning environments required by varying
group sizes – from one‑on‑one to an entire cohort.

The rotated decks are mirrored in the facades. Due to their rotation, the decks create openings double- and
triple high while drawing lines on the façade. As a rule, the glass is smooth with the deck fronts, but on each
floor, one façade is withdrawn to create an outdoor space. These outdoor spaces are connected from
ground to roof. In front of the glass facades, a series of coloured semi-transparent glass louvers can open
or close to protect from the sun, while adding dashes of colour to the indoor environment.

> Address: Ørestad Boulevard 75, 2300 Copenhagen S
> Client: The Danish State
> Area: 12,000 m2
> 2003: 1. prize in international restricted competition
> 2007: finished

> Architect: 3XN Architects / Kim Herforth Nielsen, Bo Boje Larsen, Kim Christiansen
> 3XN team: Kim Herforth Nielsen, Michael Kruse, Tommy Bruun, Per Damgaard-Sørensen,Trine Berthold, Kristjan Eggertsson, Jørgen Søndermark, Rikke Zachariasen, Pia Hallstrup, Maj Quist, Rasmus Kruse, Lars Ketil Carlsen, Anders Barslund Christensen, Morten Mygind, Nicolaj Borgwardt Schmidt, Trine Dalgaard, Britt Hansen, Ritha Jørgensen, Flemming Vind Christiansen, Holger Mouritzen, Klaus Mikkelsen, Robin Vind Christiansen, Klaus Petersen, Allan Brinch, Mogens Jeppesen
> Engeneer: Søren Jensen
> Contractors: Hoffmann, Marius Hansen Facader, Jakon, Bravida Danmark, Colt Nordic, G4S,
Galten stål og glas
> Teaching Advisor: Helle Mathiasen, M.Educ., Ph..D
> Acoustics: Frederik Wiuff

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