Day Care Centre by Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter

The Day-Care Centre is located in a residential neighborhood which was parceled out in 1857-72. The territory is a green oasis in the densely built quarter of Copenhagen. The residential neighborhood of Italian inspiration is of high architectural quality. The neighborhood was built for rich inhabitants of the city of Copenhagen including a number of acknowledged artists of the time.

The site is located where the homogeneous character of the residential neighborhood is disintegrated. It has a palace like building on one side, a functionalistic block of flats on the other and in the south, the high density of dwellings on Naestvedgade.The site is narrow and rather long in the proportion 1:3.

The south part towards Naestvedgade is characterized by big old lime trees worthy of preservation. In the summertime the trees lay half of the site in shadow. To achieve an appropriate utilization of the site in regards to the sunlight, the building is placed along the east side of the site.

The project consists of two main elements, the Prism and the Frame tied together by the middle building and the roof terrace. The prism shape is determined by the intention to create a minimum of shadow in the west-facing outdoor areas of the neighboring housing estate. At the same time it creates the best possible outdoor areas for the users of the Day-care Centre.

Architect: Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Landscape Architect: Marianne Levinsen
Engineer: Moe & Broedsgaard A/S
Photographs: Jens Markus Lindhe