BY GRAPHIC CONCRETE
08.01.2016

Videnbyen is a new science and innovation centre located at Cortex Park, a new part of the City of Odense in Denmark located at the Southern University of Denmark, Science Park Odense and the upcoming new Odense University Hospital. Opened in September 2015, Videnbyen covers an area of 7500 square metres. The “talent centre” brings together students, scientists, entrepreneurs and businesses all under the same roof.

Videnbyen, literally “Knowledge Town”, consists of four houses spread around a shared town square. The visual appearance of the town square is dominated by the attractive and unique facades of the four buildings. There is also a café in the square – just like in any other town.

Although the buildings serve as independent units, they are connected to each other by light bridges and corridors. The buildings house laboratories and spaces for teamwork, creating innovations and state-of-the-art meetings. One of the buildings has space reserved for start-up companies and local residents who can work at Plug ‘n’ Play workstations that they can rent on a temporary, flexible basis.

Videnbyen is not like any other place. Above the houses, a handball arena hangs from the roof. While serving as a place to exercise, it can also function as an exhibition centre or a concert hall. At the very top, there is a town park spread around a beautiful roof terrace.

“Our main inspiration was to design a complex that would support the formation of a community. At the same time we wanted to create a physical environment that would promote collaboration, sharing knowledge, innovations and competition,” says Jan Ulrik Nielsen, Chief Architect at Creo Architects A/S.

“We chose sandwich elements and Graphic Concrete as the primary construction materials in order to achieve visual diversity through simple yet stunning concrete surfaces. The aim was to create a concrete experience of architectonic diversity and tactility that is realised upon closer inspection,” Nielsen continues.

The architectural consultancy team of ADEPT and CREO ARCHITECTS A/S are proud of the end result. Time will tell what the inhabitants of “Knowledge Town” will achieve in the future! 

Project Details
Location: Cortex Park 18B, Odense, Denmark
Chief architects:  Creo Arkitekter A/S
Partner architects: ADEPT
Contractor: CJ Anlæg A/S
Concrete element factory: DS Elcobyg A/S
Construction year: 2015
Photos: Helene Høyer Mikkelsen
Product: GC-Collection™
Patterns: Textilia 200%, Piksel, Ikat, Round Rough 200%