Jens Thomas Arnfred, Tegnestuen Vandkunsten; Copenhagen, Denmark

Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, the Tegnestuen Vandkunsten architect office was established in 1970. Some 40 years later, the quality of housing – low-cost and social housing in particular – remains the office’s foremost concern, though their work covers all aspects of the profession across Europe. Jens Thomas Arnfred is a co-founder and principal partner of Tegnestuen Vandkunsten. He has received, together with his partners, more than 60 first prizes in national, Nordic and international competitions, including the Alvar Aalto Medal in 2009.

Torpedohallen [housing, Holmen, Copenhagen]
The Torpedohallen project features the reuse of a 1953 navy shipyard structure as housing. The concrete columns, steel trusses – and the canal – have all been retained from the original structure. The old columns and trusses support the new roof and all exterior steel work, including stairs, bridges, and balconies. The 67 new flats basically support themselves inside the perimeter of the old building. The 32x160m industrial frame now contains a density of flats found only in historic town centres.

Bernadotte School [alternative school, north of Copenhagen]
Vandkunsten’s new building extension to a school housed in a couple of old villas adds a library, a gym with stage facilities and extends existing classrooms and workshops, together with new play area roof terraces. The construction is light in weight, in wood and steel, insulation values are high,  visual coherence is achieved with vandkunsten’s trademark black cladding, and stainless steel wires support three kinds of planted creepers.

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