The first prize-winning proposal from the Danish workshop was developed by JDS in collaboration with compatriots from CEBRA, French architect Louis Paillard and Dutch SeArch.
The residential area "Iceberg" will be built in the area of the port of Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark, on the site of the old container terminal. This section of the city's harbor is now being transformed into a dynamically developing mixed development area, with various social and cultural institutions, as well as offices and residential buildings.
The main difficulty in the design of "Iceberg" was the coordination of the wishes of the developers (Tækker Group and Brabrand Boligforening companies) with the requirements of the building legislation: the former would like to see at least 25,000 sq. M. In the new complex. m of area, and the maximum number of apartments had to be well lit and overlook the sea, and according to the second, the building height in this area of Aarhus is strictly limited.
The architects found a way out of this situation by planning new residential buildings of different heights - in the form of rocks or icebergs. Using “mountain” terms, we can say that the sharp “tops” of buildings will exceed the permitted height, but the “gorges” between them (and the bulk of the structures) will be much lower than the level of the permitted. This solution is not only practical, but also makes the appearance of the residential complex a memorable symbol of the city, which the mayor of Aarhus has already noted.
At least one-third of the apartments planned in the Iceberg will be rented social housing, which will make the array “diversified from a social point of view”, which is what the city authorities are striving for.
