The Spinning Mills (2009)
Facts:
Client
Vejle Municipality and Realdania Funds
Area
12,000 m2
Construction sum
€ 9.6 million excl. VAT
Competition
2006 - first prize in invited international competition
Status
Construction 2008-2009
Engineer
NIRAS A/S
Landscape Architect
schmidt hammer lassen architects in partnership with Jeppe Aagaard Andersen ApS
Description:
The regeneration project’s design aims to preserve the cultural value of the Spinning Mills whilst introducing a contemporary feel to the buildings and the surrounding area. The historic mills, which were rebuilt in the 1930s after a fire destroyed the original structures in 1886, reflect the industrial heritage of Vejle, an old industrial town well known for its cotton industry.
A unifying feature of the Spinning Mills’ regeneration is the use of surfaces and materials. Most notably, the practice has devised a striking, abstracted surface pattern using asphalt, gravel, concrete steel and grass. This dynamic, geometric design, resembling a vast carpet, is intended to unify the differing elements contained within the site, thereby creating a strong sense of cohesion.
A green pedestrian route skirting the river wraps itself around the site, providing connections to the Municipal Park and the Music Theatre, and creating a natural urban space around the complex. One of the strongest visual elements of the project is a newly created plaza, a large public space surrounded by symbolic references to the city’s industrial past, which connects to the mills visually to the rest of the city.
The existing facade of the main building will be partly replaced with large coloured glazed panels. This creates visual references to the city’s modern architecture and will also make the mill more visually prominent. This intervention also creates a strong visual connection between inside and out, and between the mill and the plaza.
“Buehallerne” will form the heart of the complex, housing the main entrance, theatre, exhibition space, café and multi-purpose hall. The existing fragmented context of the industrial buildings are all maintained, reconfigured and combined, creating a green symbiosis between cultural, commercial and city life.
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