Together with ALECTIA and Kragh & Berglund Landscape Architecture, the architects Christensen & Co have been selected as winners of the ambitious competition to unite and expand Roskilde Technical College.

Roskilde Technical College is a versatile educational establishment with 3000 daily students, 350 employees, and a yearly turnover of 300 mill. DKK. The school has a wide range of vocational educations, from landscape gardener and carpenter to technical designer, blacksmith, and web integrator. The school also offers a number of courses and the Higher Technical Examination.

The school today resides at several addresses in the town of Roskilde and was therefore looking for visionary, challenging and rugged suggestions for how the different educational fields could be gathered around existing educational facilities. The suggestions were also to include a proposal for the interconnection of the new school and the Musicon area to support and strengthen the activities and the life of the whole area.

The winning proposal from the architects Christensen & Co, the consulting engineering company ALECTIA, and Kragh & Berglund Landscape Architecture received the following comments in the judges’ report: ”The judging committee unanimously recommends this proposal as the winner, as the proposal in an ideal way solves the school’s wish for an iconographical building that supports their future pedagogic aim to provide the students with an understanding for the interaction between the work of different vocational groups both at the school and in the world in general.

The competition includes a master plan for the whole area, indicating possible expansion areas, infrastructure, parking, and external activities, as well as the construction of a new building of about 17.000 m² in total floor space. The new building will function as the unifying centre for the whole school area and have educational facilities for two specific educations. During phase one, 4.000 m² will be constructed.

Cross-disciplinary synergy in a stimulating and attractive environment
The building has a cross-disciplinary synergy with a stimulating and attractive environment and creates a flowing link between the school and the pulsating life of the town district. The design ensures that all vocational fields can be seen as independent, well-defined units, but also as part of the community.

When you enter through the main entrance you are met by a striking view of the ascending stairs. The common areas are dedicated to communication and dialogue, and the stairs are designed as a place where you can sit and relax or check out mails, and they can also be used as podium or auditorium in connection with speeches, presentations, musical or entertaining events, etc.  

Sustainability and noise
The school has a sustainable and future-proof design. It will be a low energy building with a good indoor climate. The specific selection of materials is based on the wish that all materials and surfaces have a simple and rugged appearance. The building is in general characterized by unpretentious materials, and is dominated by materials that will mellow beautifully throughout their life. The building has a rough workshop look which is repeated in workshops, school rooms and common areas. The sustainable profile is designed to inspire and motivate environmental-friendly and energy-efficient thoughts and actions. The judging committee has the following comments to sustainability:   

”The proposal gives a good account of the total energy conception of the building with focus on energy-optimized, needs-based mechanical ventilation, daylight-controlled lightning, and effective solar protection and utilization. The proposal furthermore describes how the operational data of the building via IT can be integrated in both education and operations and in a simple way manage the climate of the building.”

Also the acoustic features are praised: ”The proposal in a model way describes the noise conditions, and how the location of the building and use of gates can shield against the noise without compromising openness and functionality.”

Also together in the Navitas Park project – The largest low energy building in Denmark
ALECTIA and the architects Christensen & Co are also on the winning team in the prestigious competition to construct Navitas Park on the new harbour front in Aarhus together with E. Pihl & Son, the architects Kjaer & Richter, and Marianne Levinsen Landscape. The building will be 35.000 m2 and thus the largest low energy building in Denmark. The building will house the Engineering College of Aarhus, the Aarhus School of Marine and Technical Engineering, and INCUBA Science Park.