Copenhagen, Denmark
2022 - 2026
Ørestad Church
Designing the first new-build church in Copenhagen in over 30 years demanded that we rethink the typology. Exploring how people of diverse backgrounds look to modern spirituality, our aim was to craft an inclusive invitation – a meeting place that would accommodate all the neighborhood’s residents and not just its churchgoers.
Project details
Client
Islands Brygge's Parish
Status
For some, a church can act as a place of solace, community gathering, and togetherness. For others, it can be seen as a space that excludes, a place where not all are welcome. Acknowledging this harsh disparity, a new-build church must actively ensure that unnecessary social barriers are not echoed and that all can feel included in and around its grounds.
With timber as the primary material in the design and the façade shingles made entirely of tree scraps, a planet-minded material choice is harnessed to embody both familiarity and warmth in a sensory experience. This while also supporting a new architectural expression and a modern outlook on the future of inclusive community spaces.
Designed for openness
Working closely with Platant who conducted qualitative research to support the design and programming, local perceptions of churches and modern spirituality were explored amongst residents of diverse backgrounds. As a result, our design ambition looked to embrace all the neighborhood’s inhabitants as well as its natural surroundings, offering a future meeting place where the activities of a community house and those of a traditional church, are shared under one roof.
"We found that for many, entering a church is a barrier. Instead, people tend to look to nature for pensive and spiritual experiences. This encouraged us to create a flexible, and inclusive gathering space that was inspired by clearings in the forest and the light that filters through the trees. Wood was central to this, acting as a symbolic carrier for both social and cultural values."
Nina la Cour Sell
Partner
Environmentally minded material choice loaded with meaning
Our vision for the new church is inspired by the light of nature, the changeability of the forest, and the need for open spaces for the community. This will be a new kind of church that opens like a forest edge from several sides, evoking a meeting place at the clearing in the trees.
With wooden roof domes filtering and refracting light in ways that vary throughout the day and year, the chapel will be bathed in light, opening to a view of the sky. Together with the height of the hall, this will create a grand atmosphere for diverse civic, cultural, and spiritual programming.
Like tree bark, the church façade made of tree scrap shingles will be rough, changing its character with the seasons. Activated on all sides, it will provide an urban shelf with seating niches, book exchange, drinking fountain, and insect hotels. The inverted façade design creates projections within the deep church walls forming an evocative meeting space for the community.
One with the landscape
Inspired by the open landscape and forest of Hans Tausen’s Parish, nature intertwines to become part of the architecture of the new church. The landscape consists of grasses, herbaceous perennials, and cherry trees echoing the nature of Amager Fælled, a protected area nearby.
Like cloister gardens, the church’s building protects a quiet garden in the courtyard with flowers and a single slender tree. The planting helps to mark the change of seasons and the shady corners give way to a garden where visitors can sit for quiet reflection.
Contact
All contacts
Jacob Kurek
Managing Director
Partner
Architect
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