The new community center is intended both for the parishioners of the cathedral and for the many tourists who come to Lund specifically to admire this magnificent medieval structure. That is why the constructed building has an assembly hall for all kinds of meetings, a bookstore, a cafe, and a universal space in which you can place permanent and temporary exhibitions dedicated to the history of the once main cathedral of Denmark and the whole of Scandinavia (before the city passed to Sweden): the only cathedra of the archbishop in the region was located there.
The community center is built right in front of the cathedral, on the other side of its square, in the block located between the two main streets of Lund - Kyrkogatan and Kungsgatan. The "youngest" building here dates back to the 18th century and, of course, is protected by the state as an architectural monument, so the architect was entrusted with a great responsibility - to design a complex that would be in the most delicate contact with its surroundings and at the same time would be obviously a modern building.
Solving this difficult task, Carmen Izquierdo started, first of all, from the plan for the center of the site allocated for the construction. A tiny building spot in the center of the old quarter had the outlines of a complex polygon, and this is the geometry that the facades and roof of the complex acquired.
Part of the building is actually a telescopically extended console - oriented strictly towards the cathedral, it serves as a kind of ladder from which an ideal view of the landmark opens. Outside, this large square window acts as a kind of "TV" reflecting the same cathedral.
You can get into the building both from the square and from both streets - all three entrances lead to a spacious two-story atrium, which houses a cafe, a porter's area and counters with information materials about the cathedral. Exhibitions will also be held here. Another ideal space for this is the inner courtyard, which has arisen at the junction of the new building and the monument building.
For cladding the facades of the public center, the architect chose panels coated with brass alloy. The newly built complex seems to be gilded, but over time, the original tone of the brass coating under the influence of rain and wind will acquire a more complex and distinctive shade, the bronze dullness of which will be perfectly combined with the brutal architecture of the immediate surroundings. But in the decoration of interiors concrete predominates, the asceticism of which is only softened in some places by wooden panels. According to the architect's idea, such a laconic design of interior spaces will not distract visitors from the main character of this project - the cathedral.
