Foundation stone for new hothouse
The foundation stone for the new palm house and knowledge centre for the Hothouse in the Botanic Garden, Aarhus, has been laid. C. F. Møller Architects has designed the new building. The characteristic domed shape is the result of sustainable design, new materials, and advanced computer technology. Two years ago, C. F. Møller Architects won the competition to build the new palm house and knowledge centre for the Hothouse in the Botanic Garden, Aarhus.
C. F. Møller Architects also designed the original building - the snail-shaped hothouse, built in 1969, which is today a national icon in hothouse architecture.
However, the buildings, which are a part of the University of Aarhus, needed restoration and new facilities for the interaction between the university and the public.
In the restoration the palm house will become a new botanical knowledge centre, with i.e. a café and exhibition facilities, at the same time as the complex is extended with a new, 18 m high tropical hothouse, in which the public can go exploring among the tree-tops.
Energy-conserving design
The new hothouse also uses the organic form, which is, at the same time, based on energy-conserving design solutions and on a knowledge of materials, indoor climate and technology. Advanced calculations have ensured that form and energy consumption interact in the best possible manner. The domed shape and the building's orientation in relation to the points of the compass have been chosen because this precise format gives the smallest surface area coupled with the largest volume, as well as the best possible sunlight incidence in winter, and the least possible in summer.
Opening in 2012
The project, which is sponsored by Realdania and the City of Aarhus, is expected to be completed in 2012
The project includes a comprehensive restoration of the old hothouse in the Botanic Garden in Aarhus originally designed by C. F. Møller Architects.
In the restoration the palm house will become a new botanical knowledge centre, at the same time as the complex is extended with a new, 18 metres high tropical hothouse, in which the public can go exploring among the tree-tops.
The existing snail-shaped hothouse was well adapted to its surroundings, and it has been important to bear the existing architectural values in mind when designing the new one. The new hothouse also uses the organic form, which is, at the same time, based on energy-conserving design solutions and on a knowledge of materials, indoor climate and technology. Advanced calculations have ensured that form and energy consumption interact in the best possible manner. The domed shape and the building's orientation in relation to the points of the compass have been chosen because this precise format gives the smallest surface area coupled with the largest volume, as well as the best possible sunlight incidence in winter, and the least possible in summer.
Client
The University of Aarhus by Danish University and Property Agency
Engineering
Søren Jensen Rådgivende Ingeniører
Architect
Arkitektfirmaet C. F. Møller
Landscape
Arkitektfirmaet C. F. Møller
Address
Møllevejen, Aarhus C
Size
3300 m2 (1242 m2 new tropical hothouse and 2071 m2 renovation and rebuild of existing hothouse
Year
2009-2012
Competition year
2008
Prizes
2009 1. prize in architectural competition
Source: Arkitektfirmaet C. F. Møller
