The BLOX complex was built on the recently "escheat" territory of a brewery that burned down in the 1960s. For a long time it remained a transit route, cutting off access to water from the historic center, from museums and government institutions. The highway running along the embankment was led through the new building, so it can now be crossed from below and from above. As a result, BLOX has become the intersection of many city routes, as well as their destination: on its terraces with a playground you can relax overlooking the water, and in the evenings it is planned to show a movie. On the side of the historic houses, a new square was formed, on the side of the water - a park.
The Danish Architectural Center occupies 5.5 thousand m2: it received two exhibition halls, an auditorium for 200 seats, a cafe, meeting rooms, and an educational area. But BLOX is not limited to them: there are 22 apartments with an average area of 105 m2 (plus a spacious terrace), a restaurant, offices, a fitness center, an automatic parking for 350 cars (5000 m2), a covered bicycle parking for 186 cars.
Glass and frosted blocks, from which a new object seems to be assembled, create a free composition that allows citizens to enter - and go outside - at different points, as well as maintain a visual connection between different "departments" - an architectural center, a gym, offices.
In Denmark, the resource efficiency requirements for new buildings are much higher than in other European countries, so eco-considerations were incorporated into the project even at the stage of elaboration of its mass and facade. BLOX generates electricity itself, and consumes less than 40 kWh / m2 / year. The fully glazed facades of the office area allow maximum natural light to be used; blinds and lights are controlled by a sensor system, and personal lamps are also widely used. At the same time, the level of illumination can be adjusted by the users themselves, the same purpose of their comfort is served by the BLOX design of the road viaduct and the increased insulation of the facades, so the flow of cars through the tunnel through the building does not create any perceptible vibration.
