SOSU Skejby

Aarhus Social and Healthcare College has moved to a new location in the Aarhus suburb of Skejby. The new building has been designed by Cubo Arkitekter using materials that support the architectural objective of creating a sense of community and human scale where you are never far from the central activity.

Despite being located in Skejby, which is dominated by a new large scale hospital complex, the College is situated next to a number of small saddle-roofed buildings. It is based on a similar concept with its departments linked and juxtaposed in new ways and interspersed by courtyards.

The saddle roofs with skylights add a special touch to the complex, tying in with the neighbouring buildings and flooding the interiors with natural light. The buildings are pale brick while the materials inside combine to form warm, welcoming and robust surfaces and the different colours on doors and some walls help people to find their way around. The mix of materials and colours has been chosen to reflect the diversity of students from widely differing cultural backgrounds.

“The College is intended to be a town within a town. You arrive in the central hub which give you a good view of the surroundings and from there you can embark on a journey of discovery through the ‘squares, highways and byways,” says Sune Nielsen, a partner and architect at Cubo Arkitekter.

This hub is centrally positioned in the complex, a natural place to congregate and the link with all the various levels and departments. The ‘sitting stairs’ and the galleried walkways offer good views of life in the building while the interesting roof angles and skylights create a sense of depth while at the same time emphasising the human scale.

Troldtekt has been used throughout the College not only to ensure good acoustics in the open and high ceilinged rooms but also to create a particularly intimate and warm atmosphere.