Open Platform (OP) and JAJA Architects, together with Rama Studio and Søren Jensen Engineers, have won the open competition for a new parking house in Aarhus. In line with Denmark’s vision of becoming climate neutral by 2050, the structure will be the country’s first wooden parking house.
Located in the under-construction South-harbor neighborhood, the project will “play an active role in the development of the future district”. The winning team consisting of architecture studios Open Platform (OP) and JAJA Architects as well as graphic design studio RAMA and Søren Jensen Engineers, have created a 19,300 square meter construction “that illustrates the balance between the practical and the poetic”. In fact, the jury reported that “the proposal’s beautifully worked spatial qualities are enriched by well-integrated event and activity options. The parking house is a strong contribution to achieve a more creative and greener urban district.”
In close proximity to the city center, the project encourages people to leave their car and continue the journey on foot, by bike or by scooter. The structure made from cross-laminated timber (CLT), covers 6 floors of parking creating a total of 700 parking spots. Playing also the role of a multi-functional hub, the project will be connected to the existing infrastructure on-site and will include 2,000 square meters of public functions such as a gym, gallery, and café.
Mobility is much more than transportation from A to B. We don’t just consider the new parking house as a container for cars, but as an actual mobility hub, where all modes of transport are accommodated in the design, and especially the green ones -- Jakob Steen Christensen, partner in JAJA Architects, architect, and urban planner
The compact parking facility is situated on the north-eastern half of the site in order to make “space for a green and creative oasis with small pavilions, where social and cultural activities can unfold”. Continuing onto the parking house façade, the greenery generates vertical gardens and active balconies. Facilities supporting green transportation and transport sharing will be located on the ground floor and will include charging stations, cargo bike rentals, carpooling stops and parking spots dedicated to car-sharing vehicles.
In this project, we minimize the building’s footprint and work with wooden construction and bound carbon. Together with the planting of a new urban forest, we secure Aarhus’ contribution to a life-long CO2-balance -- Niles Lund Petersen, a partner in OP.
