Asnæs, Odsherred
2022 - 2024
The school in the city
A new gathering point
The development of Campus Odsherred is a collective endeavor, not only for the school and its educational directions but also for associations, businesses, and the municipal political dimension. Campus Odsherred is a genuine urban development project with education, community life, city life, and business as common drivers sharing common goals: the development of Asnæs as a city and an educational center.
The new Campus Odsherred is an ambitious and visionary project involving the establishment of new and modern educational facilities in Asnæs. It aims to consolidate youth education in Odsherred on the current premises of Odsherreds Gymnasium. By bringing all youth education to one location, the ambition is for Campus Odsherred to create attractive academic and study environments, drawing in the young population of Odsherred for both vocational training and high school education.
The strategy involves a community that interacts with and integrates into the existing city and the current community culture. The new school aims to share its activities with the public on all levels, allowing communities to mutually enrich each other’s activities both inside and outside the school.
Strategy
The new campus is situated on the outskirts of Asnæs town and will be the closest neighbor to an upcoming residential area to the northeast. By establishing a pathway system that creates new connections between the town, campus, and the new residential area, Campus Odsherred will become a link between the old and the new. The placement of the campus’s new building, functions, and squares facing Åstoftevej contributes to marking Campus Odsherred as a new meeting place for the district, town, and municipality. Asnæs gets a new focal point that simultaneously draws from and adds to the qualities of the area. This is particularly evident in the two primary focal points: Håndværkerhuset (the Craftsmen’s House) and Madstrædet (the Food Alley).
Upon arriving at Campus Odsherred, you should encounter the community. “Madstrædet” (the Food Alley) connects the new main entrance in the transition between the new and the old, ensuring a direct connection between Håndværkerhustet (the Craftsmen’s House), the renovated cafeteria, and the rest of the school. The cafeteria, the school’s gathering place and communal lounge, is situated in the heart of the school with equal access for everyone.
The positioning of the gastronomy, carpentry, and assembly hall facing Åstoftevej in Håndværkerhuset (the “Craftsmen’s House”) serves as a new communal cultural center, directly exposed as the school’s most visible face toward the town. A place that leaves an impression as you pass by.
Madstrædet (the food alley)
The expansive area around the main entrance tells a unique story. The school requires a prominent entrance that invites people in. The gastronomy program needs a kitchen garden. The cafeteria requires an expansion. The space around the main entrance becomes the place that blends the outdoors and indoors, new and old, different study paths. When the focus is on cultivation, an essential part of the region's distinctiveness is exposed.<br /> <br /> The main entrance is designed as an orangery or an actual greenhouse, featuring a "welcome long table" in the center. This table can be used as a dining area, study space, meeting place, green workspace, with raised beds for cultivating a kitchen garden along the windows.
Håndværkerhuset (the Craftsmen's House)
By placing the assembly hall alongside the gastronomy and carpentry programs, the foundation for a wide range of diverse activities is established. These activities can exist independently or in conjunction.
Håndværkerhuset (the Craftsmen’s House) holds value not only for the school but also for the town’s residents, associations, and visitors. Whether it’s workshop activities in the kitchen or carpentry hall, yoga in the assembly hall, a confirmation ceremony in the practice restaurant, or the preparation of a festival in the square in front of the carpentry hall, it all aligns with the facilities of the house, either individually or collectively—and it’s easily accessible.
Individually, each function is robust, but when placed in conjunction and visible to the outside world, they become a treasure trove of possibilities. The positioning facing Åstoftevej makes these activities visible to the surroundings, turning Håndværkerhuset (the Craftsmen’s House) into a part of the city’s collective consciousness—a place one remembers when driving by.
Both the carpentry hall and the practice restaurant have double height, visually opening Håndværkerhuset (the Craftsmen’s House) towards the north and south. The assembly hall is established on the first floor with large glass panels facing the surroundings.
Existing frameworks, a new focal point for the school.
The task quickly becomes building upon the things that work well, and fortunately, there are many. The cafeteria space with direct access to the courtyard, and the cafeteria as part of the existing north-south corridor through the school, is a strong organizational concept. By connecting to this and emphasizing it further, we create an easily understandable and highly functional structure in the school around which we build the functions.
Outdoor areas - landscape and plazas
Odsherred’s geological landscape appears undulating and hilly, bearing significant characteristics that influence life and culture in the area. The positioning of the campus at the transition between the town and the green terraced landscape to the east, along with an upcoming residential area, suggests expanding existing connections in the area. The existing sidewalk leading to the train station is extended northward, better connecting the campus with the town. Additionally, we are adding pathways in the landscape to make the green area more accessible.
Moreover, by making the main entrance to Campus Odsherred accessible from both the north and south in the link between the new and existing structures, two new inviting squares are formed. Simultaneously, a courtyard is created that supports the interaction between disciplines and students in the various educational paths at the school.
All these new squares are part of a comprehensive landscape concept that serves to activate the splendid outdoor areas around the school and enhance the relationship between the school’s indoor and outdoor life.
Project facts
Facts
Project name: Campus Odsherred
Category:R&D, Culture & Institutions, Renovation, Education
Client: Nordvestsjællands Erhvervs- og Gymnasialeuddannelser with financial support from A.P. Møller Fond, Hustru Chastine McKinney Møllers Fond and Odsherred Kommune
Location: Asnæs, Odsherred
Gross area: New building 1489 m², renovation 3000 m² m²
Date: 2022 - 2024
Status: Under development
Project
Program: Uddannelse
Activity: Renovering, nybyggeri og landskab
Job type: 1. præmie i projektkonkurrence
Contact: Kim Dalgaard, kd@vandkunst.dk
Project group: Kim Dalgaard, Jan Albrechtsen, Pernille Schyum Poulsen, Michael Delin, Eleonora Fassina, Katharina Richter, Rasmus Kragh Bjerregaard, Madeline Rudnicki-Ulholm
Team
Architect: Tegnestuen Vandkunsten og Rolvung og Brøndsted Arkitekter
Landscape: Tegnestuen Vandkunsten
Engineer: DOMINIA Rådgivende Ingeniører
Consultant: Riis Akustik og SafeDesign