A sports hall in Copenhagen is shaped like an organic amoeba. Falkonergården Gymnesium was awarded «Store Arne» for its beautiful architectural concept, where new and old supporting each other’s narrative. Learn more about the awarded multi-purpose sports hall in Copenhagen.
In 2010, Falkonergården Gymnasium at Fredriksberg in Copenhagen announced an open architecture competition for submitting ideas for a new sports hall that communicated with the buildings of architect Thomas Havning from 1955. As many as 103 proposals were submitted, and the three architects Tage Lyneborg, Høgni T. Hansen and Carl Th. Lyneborg (JAJA Architects) were the winning team “for its respectful relation to the existing buildings through its geometric formal language”. The jury explained, “The shape appears logic with an interpretation of the buildings’ existing virtues. And the objective of capturing the warm glow of the surrounding buildings with new materials seems very convincing.”
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The new building met the existing buildings’ stock values respectfully, but at the same time it was modern, functional and empathetic.
“What is special about Falkonergårdens Gymnasium is that it does not clearly conform to what was typical of its time, but rather draws more towards Danish and Nordic architecture from the 1930s,” said architect Høgni T. Hansen.
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From the large programmatic grip and down to the smallest detail, it is a convincing and complete piece of architecture that bears witness to the architectural tenacity and thoughtfulness. The use of materials and thoughtful plan will give Falkonergården’s students joy for many years to come.
For the extension, JAJA Architects proposed an infill project between the campus’ two existing gym buildings. This infill is conceived as a contemporary interpretation of the existing building mass that connects and transforms the detached gyms into one coherent functional facility.
Seen from the air, the new sports hall is like an organic amoeba between the rectangular brick buildings. It is located on the west side of the schoolyard, where there used to be a sunken garden.
Junckers sports floor in the wood species Oak Champion, 2-strip was chosen for this beautiful project, installed on a DuoBAT 120+ and surface treated with Silk Matt laquer. Linemarkings are painted with Junckers HP SportsLine.
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The extends allowed the fragmented buildings to function as one entity where the interior space is extended to a courtyard condition, thus creating a continuous space where gym and schoolyard, building and landscape merge together.
Awarded Multi-Purpose Sports Hall in Copenhagen, written by Tor Kjolberg
Feature image (on top): Photo by Eumies Award