The shared storage facility of the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces has been selected as one of three finalists in line for the prestigious Concrete Element Award 2021. Gottlieb Paludan Architects collaborated with DS Flexhal and MOE on the design of the storage facility which will house cultural heritage artefacts from the Danish Royal Library and the National Museum of Denmark.

The facility will be built in the urban development area of Vinge near Frederikssund, and it will store cultural heritage artefacts of very high national significance, which calls for a building with high indoor climate stability, robust constructional solutions and comprehensive security. Extensive efforts were made to ensure that the architecture would have life and character, reflecting the cultural value of the artefacts stored while meeting the stringent logistical and security requirements.

The building is constructed in light, prefabricated concrete elements with concave façades, producing a play of light and shade and a rich modular texture. The grooved effect is reminiscent of the fluting on the shafts of classical columns intended to catch the light and emphasise the vertical element of the design. Thus, the exterior of the building symbolises the cultural heritage inside the facility, connecting Danish culture to other cultural trends that have shaped the development in Denmark.

According to panel member Peter Thorsen of Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitekter, the storage facility utilises “the potential of prefabricated concrete elements with a high degree of repetition to refine the design and execution of the individual façade element, creating an elegant and powerful, almost noble architectural appearance from the predominantly closed, introverted building”.

The Concrete Element Award is given in recognition of talented architectural use of concrete elements in a project where concrete elements constitute a dominant or essential aspect of the design.

The award was created by Danish Precast Concrete Association and the Ready-mixed Concrete Association (Fabriksbetonforeningen), and the winners in the various categories will be announced at the award ceremony ‘Betonens Prisfest’ on 22 June 2021 at the home of the Confederation of Danish Industries (Industriens Hus).

Read more here (in Danish):

https://www.bef.dk/inspiration/betonelement-prisen/nominerede-2021/faellesmagasinet-i-vinge/

https://via.ritzau.dk/pressemeddelelse/se-de-nominerede-til-betonelement-prisen-og-in-situ-prisen-2021?publisherId=13560243&releaseId=13622983