Intelligent design

Christensen & Co and and Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects Collaborative group win competition for lab and teaching buildings at Uni of Copenhagen A team consisting of Ramboll Denmark, Christensen & Co Architects (CCO), Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects, GHB Landscape Architects, Ramboll UK, Ramboll SE and Collin Gordon Associates have won the competition to build a new science lab and educational building for Copenhagen University. Dean of Copenhagen University, Ralf Hemmingsen, said: “Bohr would have been proud if he could see this project. In addition to bringing the laboratory standard completely up to date, the winning project fulfills the demands of future education and research. The project brings together the various educational strands in an open and internationally oriented manner.” The building will house math, computer science, chemical and physical disciplines, including the Niels Bohr Institute, and will be located in the University Park as a part of North Campus, Copenhagen. The bulk of the Faculty of Science activities are gathered here. The project is to be built in two stages, connected via a skywalk, on either side of a busy road cutting through the northern part of Copenhagen; Jagtvej, Stage 1 is established east of Jagtvej and will be approx. 30,000 sq m in the University Park and Stage 2 to the west of Jagtvej, approx. 15,000 sq m located in a business area. The competition jury commented: “The winning proposal convincingly brings together the two buildings across Jagtvej, bringing an interesting solution to the problem of crossing the road. The building is a rational and flexible structure with beautiful long balcony pathways and green courtyards.” Stage 1 is expected to be ready in 2014 and Stage 2 in 2015.

DRDS wins competition in Korea

DRDS, in collaboration with Kunwon, win competition for  Pangyo Global R+D Center The project is positioned at the gateway to the Pangyo Techno-Valley Campus. The goal is to create a landmark building and invigorate research facilities through design to attract global companies specialising in high tech industries such as Biotechnology (BT), Information Technology (IT) and Green Technology (GT). The primary programmatic component is 19,800 sq m of R+D labs that serve as company rental and research lab facilities. These manifest in the design of three separate structures that vary in height depending on need. The east tower contains wet lab facilities that require specific lab planning modules, floor-plate configuration and heavy mechanical support, including rooftop exhaust. As a multi-tenant research facility, the building is designed to optimise plan flexibility with smart office space and a raised-floor. The buildings are connected by multiple atria and connecting walkways, creating chance opportunities for communication between researchers. The idea is to promote synergy through cross pollination of various tenants. The hope is that spontaneous brainstorming can occur, increasing opportunities for ideation and discovery. This is a proactive solution that supports wide range goals of achieving greater education/R+D outcomes with domestic related companies and other research institutes throughout the region. A core element of the project is the main atrium known as the Community Forum. It is an arrival space for the project, linking the entire complex and creating a zone of influence. It is here that researchers and business development come together in a public space where individual ideas contribute to a collective global reality. The idea is to promote connections between researchers who can sometimes become isolated in their work. There are additional public workplace amenities that increase social connection between researchers for knowledge sharing. These are seen as micro- forums for breakout gatherings between intimate groups. They are connected to smaller 'breathing atria' that unite the inner architecture and spatial flows with the outside world. The connective tissue of these zones, highlighted by their transparency, also provide for increased security within the complex.