Poetic idyll on the edge of the woods
The head office of the Danish Hunters’ Association exudes simplicity and stringency.
Southern Djursland is a beautiful spot on the east coast of Jutland. Large tracts of land still bear the traces of the Ice Age. With its almost untouched landscape, Mols Bjerge has been designated one of Denmark’s four national parks. It is therefore not surprising that the Danish Hunters’ Association chose this location for its new headquarters here on the edge of the woods with views of the bay Kalø Vig.
Jagtens Hus – House of Hunting – blends gently into the landscape, consisting of two two-storey wings inspired primarily by the design of simple shelters. Two shielding roofs emerge from the terrain to form spaces for the functions in the two wings. The apparent solidity of the roofs is delicately counterbalanced by an elegant wood construction with exposed beams running the entire length of the buildings. There is a gap in the roofs which allows the buildings to open up towards their surroundings via large glass window sections.
In close proximity to nature
The architect Mette Julie Skibsholt MAA, an associate partner at Arkitema Architects, says: “Michael Stevns, CEO of the Danish Hunters’ Association, gave us a good brief to work from when he said: ‘You must be able to feel the hunt’ – in the sense that you should be able to feel the proximity of nature throughout the building. We have therefore attempted to remove the distinction between the inside and the great outdoors with large glass sections facing both the woods and Kalø Vig.
We have also worked very consciously to understate the effects and cultivate the details throughout. In some places, the details have almost been designed away – for example along the outdoor colonnade with its supporting columns and in the harmonious transitions between the columns, the roof and the terrain.”
Recurring rhythms and contrasts
The interior is a play on contrasts. Rustic materials refined. In the canteen, the ceiling is black to enhance the sense of height. The fireside lounge is a small, intimate space – somewhere to withdraw to.
The Danish Hunters’ Association expressed a clear desire for open-plan offices. For hunters, tinnitus is a relatively common ailment, and therefore a particularly good acoustic environment was required. Troldtekt acoustic panels were therefore chosen as the primary sound absorber in almost all the rooms.
Modular acoustic panels measuring 4.88 square metres are used throughout, in a rhythmical pattern. None of the ceiling panels have been cut widthwise. Instead, a narrow black indentation marks the rhythm, which recurs in the concrete walls.
