AARCH
10. Semester
Tutor Anders Gammelgaard Nielsen
10. Semester
Tutor Anders Gammelgaard Nielsen
The thesis project is in process.
In Denmark today, construction is driven by speed and cost-efficiency, often serving as a quick-money scheme for investors. The term “modern” is used as a marketing tool to attract homebuyers, yet these buildings are mass-produced with minimal attention to detail. Often, they are constructed with cheap materials that lack any real tactile quality.
If we look back before the Industrial Revolution, we encounter the opposite: a “sensory stimuli that radiate(s) out from and exist(s) in space.” At that time, everything was handmade, resulting in surfaces that our bodies can recognise and form a connection with.
Between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries, homes were built quickly and efficiently through the industrialisation, but also with careful attention to craftsmanship and tactile detail. This balance between efficiency and sensory engagement created spaces that still are popular today and thereby sustainable economically, in use of materials and Co2 emissions.
Designing with attention to detail is fundamentally humane. A home becomes an extension of ourselves, a place where memories and daydreams merge, “dwelling” with us throughout our lives. The word “modern” is complex. It shifts depending on one’s perspective. However, it always exists in the context of the present and the future.
This is why I am exploring how we can reintroduce meaningful details into today’s industrialised world of construction. How can we bring the tactile and sensory qualities back to the buildings we create?
AARCH
7. Semester
Tutor Jonathan Foote
7. Semester
Tutor Jonathan Foote
Located on the site of Aarhus' oldest vinyl store, Badstuerock, in the city's vibrant Latin Quarter, this project is set within the historic area of former bathhouses. Our aim is to revive the ancient tradition of public bathing in the heart of the city.
Inspired by Roman bathhouses, particularly the Baths of Caracalla observed during a study trip to Rome, this design seeks to create a serene, beautiful space for relaxation.
The bathhouse includes various amenities: changing rooms, toilets, showers, footbaths, a resting area, and a pool that allows visitors to swim beneath a steam room and emerge outdoors. Outside you can then enjoy the atmosphere of the Latin Quarter directly.
In keeping with the historical tradition of bathhouses, the building will also feature a live-in caretaker’s apartment, thoughtfully designed to maintain a sense of work-life balance for the occupant.
This semester's focus was on exploring pasty materials, so I chose brick for its local relevance, ability to create tall vaulted spaces, and its versatility in appearance, particularly through glazing techniques.
Additionally, I explored the use of concrete by designing a sink specifically for the bathhouse. This sink was inspired by the traditional use of sinks for holding water. Something that has changed with modern plumbing where we rely on running water directly from faucets. As a result, the sink is smaller, designed only for your hands to catch the water before it drains, reflecting both the functional and conceptual evolution of this simple but essential element.
AARCH
4. Semester
Tutor Kari Moseng
Workpartner Asta Enevoldsen
4. Semester
Tutor Kari Moseng
Workpartner Asta Enevoldsen
This semester we worked in pairs, and the task was to create an apartment building with a common space for activities.
Here my partner and I really wanted to investigate the sustainable material, which is cork. With its properties it was perfect for our family oriented building, as it is very soundproof and has a warm feel to it.
The Kork House consists of four two stories student apartments and four condominiums, where the only condition is to have or about to have children.
We had the difficulty with mainly working with an eastern facade. We therefor opened up the eastern facades a lot with big windows to make the most out of the rather few sunny days here in Denmark.
On the fourth floor we have the common space for making communal meals or hosting a mother/father group, which has this big glass facade and roof to the west that can be opened and closed after the weather conditions, and is the perfect place to enjoy the evening light.
AARCH
8. Semester
Tutor Anders Gammelgaard Nielsen
8. Semester
Tutor Anders Gammelgaard Nielsen
On the east coast of Jutland, Denmark, lies an old chalk mine, situated near one of the deepest sections of the sea surrounding Denmark. This location now serves as a crucial transfer point for aggregates and sand, which are transported via a bridge stretching over the water. From there, the materials are loaded onto a ship destined for the Femern Belt Tunnel project. Once the tunnel is completed, this plot of land will be rewilded as part of a state initiative aimed at restoring the natural environment.
For my semester project, the challenge was to integrate various activities into a wooden structure, reimagining what it could mean to live and work as a pensioner.
The building was designed to accommodate full-time residents, with dedicated housing for pensioners, space for visiting guests, and a brewery. The brewery is intended to be primarily operated by the pensioners themselves, as research has shown that maintaining routine, engaging in activities, and fostering social interaction are key to healthy aging. Visitors can stay, participate, or simply learn about the brewing process. Additionally, the brewery is open to people passing through the area, whether on walks or diving in the sea, offering them a refreshing beer along the way.
My design concept incorporates three key elements—housing, a brewery, and visitor space—that can be flexibly arranged and expanded as needed. The layout encourages interaction among the residents while also providing private spaces for retreat. The arrangement of these elements fosters community engagement with the brewery while maintaining a balance of solitude and connection within the living spaces.
This project was heavily influenced by the Sea Ranch in California, as well as a secondary task of creating a "box for your keepsakes." (The Treasure Chest) In this context, the modularity of the design allows for future growth, and the way the various elements fit together reflects my overall concept.
AARCH
9. Semester
Tutor Chris Thurlbourne
9. Semester
Tutor Chris Thurlbourne
This structure draws inspiration from the allure of the unexpected. It begins with an arrangement of vegetables cast in plaster, then cut into sections, revealing remarkable spaces within. The design is conceived as a sanctuary during Denmark's darker months, offering a refuge illuminated by globes of light that boost vitamin D levels.
The space offers various pathways for exploration. Visitors can step directly onto the mesh and approach the glowing orbs, or choose to navigate through the mesh itself.
Adjacent to the luminous, organic space is the transition zone, where visitors move from the outside world into the artificial light-filled interior, and eventually exit. This area is crafted from multiple layers of fabric, which visitors pass through to ascend and descend. Natural light filters in from a single source at the top, as well as through the fabric layers, bringing a soft glow from the brighter space beyond.
Located in the heart of Aarhus, amidst a blend of infrastructure, housing, and entertainment near the Train Station, this structure is an ideal stop for a quick vitamin D boost, whether on your way to work or before heading out with friends.
AARCH
5. Semester
Tutor Troels Rugbjerg
5. Semester
Tutor Troels Rugbjerg
My bachelor project aims to create a sanctuary for women who have lost their connection to their sexual desire or experienced trauma preventing a healthy relationship with their sexuality. It offers a six-day course, designed for small groups, combining yoga, mindfulness, sauna access, sea swimming, and communal cooking. Participants will have the chance to rediscover their bodies and establish a new connection with themselves. Life coaches will also help women reorganize their lives to prevent future disconnection from their physical selves.
The building, located in Hjorthagen, Stockholm, sits by the mouth of a river. Its design draws inspiration from yin energy, symbolizing femininity, earth, water, and softness, and is influenced by Arne Jacobsen’s Munkegård School with its courtyards. The structure is divided into three parts: the outer wall provides privacy, the sleeping rooms have a grounded, earthbound character, and the communal space focuses on the interplay of lightness, softness, and weight through organic brick and wooden elements.
The architecture plays with curved and straight lines to create contrast, while water, flowing from the roof and through a canal system, becomes an essential element. The design also integrates natural elements from the surrounding landscape, with views of a large body of water, trees, and nearby islands.
Additional services include an optional orgasm course based on Betty Dodson’s method, tantra massages, and support for new mothers on maintaining their bodily connection post-pregnancy. The center also offers evening courses for girls aged 15+ about their sexuality. The ultimate goal is to educate women about their bodies, reduce shame, and foster a healthier understanding of female sexuality.
AARCH
3. Semester
Tutor Troels Rugbjerg
3. Semester
Tutor Troels Rugbjerg
Jogakbo is the korean artform of patchworking silk cut offs from the korean traditional clothing, and thereby reducing waste. What makes it special compared to how we in Europe would understand patchwork is, that because of its material, you will see every connecting seem when held against light.
This idea of not hiding joints in fabric worked perfectly with our classes studies of the danish timber framed house.
The task was to make a common house for an apartment block in the communal courtyard here in Aarhus.
In Jogakbo House you have a kitchen and a big workspace area, which makes it possible to create your own patchwork out of fabric waste, maybe coloring the fabrics with food scraps. Other than that communal meals could be organized and there is space for guests to stay.
The building itself is a wooden structure with a weather resistent fabric spanned over. Inside there are other layers of fabric for the means of circulation, and insulation.
AARCH
2. Semester
Volunteer Work
2. Semester
Volunteer Work
I was apart of a group project where we went from the drawing board, to building the shelter and then taking it apart within a system, to then rebuilding it on site.