STATUS
COMPLETED
CLIENT
Taekker Group
TYPOLOGY
Urbanism
SIZE M2/FT2
8,500 / 91,494
SHARE
The ‘Sneglehusene’ are BIG’s contribution to the ambitious masterplan of Nye, a new neighborhood developed north of Denmark’s second largest city, Aarhus. Sneglehusene bring 93 new homes to the neighborhood of Nye, mobilizing modular construction with modest materials to create generous living spaces in close connection to nature and city life.
The ‘Sneglehusene’ are BIG and Cj Group’s second collaboration. Following the success of the affordable ‘Dortheavej Residences’ in Copenhagen, Denmark, the team was granted a rare opportunity to further adapt and evolve the modular housing concept into an increasingly refined design for the neighborhood of Nye.
In 2022, the building received Aarhus City’s highest honor for its exceptional architectural quality and contribution to the built environment.
“As an architect, one typically only gets to build a house once. With the 'Sneglehusene’, we were given the opportunity to evolve our housing concept from Dortheavej Residences in Copenhagen, while also developing the buildings' own identity. The modular concept has made it possible for us to maintain simplicity in the execution despite the construction’s complexity, and we have been allowed to improve the concept with all our experiences. It is a joy to see how the buildings have become homes filled with life, and we’re very proud to have contributed to the realization of the vision for the Nye neighborhood.”
The two types of housing modules with 2,5- and 3,5-meter ceilings, respectively, are stacked to create generous indoor spaces, floor–to–ceiling windows and an outdoor terrace in each home.
BIG Landscape has designed the landscape around ‘Sneglehusene’. Green paths and meeting points between and alongside the buildings offer comfortable pockets for small talk and play among neighbors. The heart of the ‘Sneglehusene’ is marked by an artificial pond, defining a center and retreat for the community.
The pond manages rainwater runoff, which flows to it from canals integrated in the site. Furthermore, the pond is connected to a system for secunda water, developed and supervised by the local water plant, Aarhus Vand. The system reuses water, collected from the entire Nye neighborhood, cleans it and leads it back to all homes to be used for toilet flushes, rinsing clothes, etc.
Conceived as a porous wall, a total of six buildings gently curve around a pond and a green boardwalk at the heart of the development. The one– to four–storey buildings range in size from 50-150 m2, offering three distinct housing types – studios, multi bedroom apartments and townhouses.
Bjarke Ingels Finn Nørkjær David Zahle Ole Elkjær-Larsen Alexa Haraga Anders Fønss Andrea Hektor Andy Coward Axelle Bosman Bjarke Koch-Ørvad Camille Breuil Cæcilie Søs Brandt-Olsen Christine Esmann Mulvad Duncan Horswill Espen Vik Ewa Zapiec Giulia Genovese Ivaylo Ignatov Jesper Bo Jensen Jesper Kanstrup Petersen Joanna Anna Jakubowska Johanna Schneider Jonathan Russell Joos Jerne Kaoan Hengles De Lima Kristoffer Negendahl Lasse Ryberg Hansen Liliane Wenner Lucian Tofan Mantas Povilaika Mikki Seidenschnur Mikkel Marcker Stubgaard Nanna Gyldholm Møller Norbert Nadudvari Pawel Bussold Richard Howis Sean Edmund Deering Timo Harboe Nielsen Tristan Harvey Ulla Hornsyld Wiktor Kacprzak Xinying Zhang Høgni Laksafoss Søren Aagaard Andreas Bak Katarina Mácková Peter Andres Ehvert
AWARDS
Aarhus Municipality Architecture Prize, 2023
