The sea as a public space. Aarhus Harbor Bath by BIG

Similar to BIG’s first harbor bath in Copenhagen from 2002, Aarhus Harbor Bath and adjacent Beach Bath provide new ways for the public to enjoy the water in all seasons.

Aarhus Harbor Bath by BIG. Photograph by Rasmus Hjortshøj

Danish firm BIG led by Bjarke Ingels has developed a group of pools where the swimmers can enjoy a circular diving pool, a children’s pool, the 50m long lap pool or one of the two saunas that are tucked underneath the public boardwalk which doubles as a viewing platform who those who prefer to stay dry. Harbor Bath is a vibrant meeting point and an oasis in the new district Aarhus Ø that binds the city with the bay.

Description of project by BIG

Aarhus Harbor Bath is an extension of BIG’s current development plan for Aarhus’ new waterfront neighborhood named O4. Similar to BIG’s first harbor bath in Copenhagen from 2002 which has come to define the Danish capital as one of the most livable cities in the world, Aarhus Harbor Bath and adjacent Beach Bath provide new ways for the public to enjoy the water in all seasons.

Together with urban life expert Jan Gehl, our strategy was to create a framework for maximum amount of life with the minimum amount of built substance. The harbor bath zig-zags gently into the island, extends all the way out into the harbor pool and back again. The swimmers can enjoy the circular diving pool, a children’s pool, the 50m long lap pool or one of the two saunas that are tucked underneath the public boardwalk which doubles as a viewing platform who those who prefer to stay dry.

In front of the bath, a series of freestanding restaurants, a children’s theater, beach huts for various activities and other life-creating public oriented programs were designed before the private buildings blocks which will rise in the coming years. As a result, the private residential buildings at O4 become subordinate to the needs of the public realm.

Aarhus Harbor Bath gives the residents and visitors of the island a more engaging and adventurous waterfront experience who can use the harbor bath not only in swim shorts but as a walkway that extends the public realm into the water, breathing new life into an area historically reserved for industrial purposes.

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More information

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Architects

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Bjarke Ingels Group. Partners in Charge.- Bjarke Ingels, Finn Nørkjær, Andreas Klok Pedersen. Project Leader.- Jesper Bo Jensen, Søren Martinussen

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Project team

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Annette Birthe Jensen, Franklin Natalino Simao, Giedrius Mamavicius, Jacob Lykkefold Aaen, Jakob Ohm Laursen, Johan Bergström, Kristoffer Negendahl, Lucian Tofan, Nicolas Millot, Richard Howis, Ryohei Koike, Soo Woo

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Collaborators

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CASA A/S, CC-Design A/S, Gehl

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Client

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Center for Byens Anvendelse, Aarhus Kommune / Salling Fonden

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Area

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2600.0 m²

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Dates

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Project Year.-2018

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Photography

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Rasmus Hjortshoj.

BJARKE INGELS

Bjarke Ingels (born in Copenhagen, in 1974) studied architecture at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen and the School of Architecture of Barcelona, obtaining his degree as an architect in 1998. He is the founder of the BIG architecture studio - (Bjarke Ingels Group), a studio founded in 2005, after co-founding PLOT Architects in 2001 with his former partner Julien de Smedt, whom he met while working at the prestigious OMA studio in Rotterdam.

Bjarke has designed and completed award-winning buildings worldwide, and currently, his studio is based with venues in Copenhagen and New York. His projects include The Mountain, a residential complex in Copenhagen, and the innovative Danish Maritime Museum in Elsinore.

With the PLOT study, he won the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2004, and with BIG he has received numerous awards such as the ULI Award for Excellence in 2009. Other prizes are the Culture Prize of the Crown Prince of Denmark in 2011; Along with his architectural practice, Bjarke has taught at Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University and Rice University and is an honorary professor at the Royal Academy of Arts, School of Architecture in Copenhagen.

In 2018, Bjarke received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Dannebrog granted by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II. He is a frequent public speaker and continues to give lectures at places such as TED, WIRED, AMCHAM, 10 Downing Street or the World Economic Forum. In 2018, Bjarke was appointed Chief Architectural Advisor by WeWork to advise and develop the design vision and language of the company for buildings, campuses and neighborhoods around the world.

Published on: August 13, 2018

Cite: "The sea as a public space. Aarhus Harbor Bath by BIG" METALOCUS. Accessed

<http://www.metalocus.es/en/news/sea-a-public-space-aarhus-harbor-bath-big> ISSN 1139-6415