isbjerget housing project in aarhus by seARCH, CEBRA, JDS + louis paillard

isbjerget (iceberg) apartment building in aarhus, denmark by seARCH, CEBRA, JDS + louis paillard

situated in denmark’s second largest city is the isbjerget apartment building, a collaborative effort by architecture firms seARCH, CEBRA, JDS architects and louis paillard. located along aarhus’ waterfront on an old, out-of-use container terminal, the mixed diverse housing types are positioned in four L-shaped wings which contain more than 200 one or two story apartments ranging in size from 55 m2 to 227 square meters.

drawing its formal shape from that of floating icebergs – and of which the structure takes its name – balconies feature glass panels in gradations of deep blue to transparent, offering a shimmering appearance which speaks of these arctic influences. the ground level is where two-story townhouses are integrated into the volume of the varied triangular buildings, while penthouses are located within the ‘peaks’, or pointed spires. the façades – divided into triangles in free combinations – are made from white terrazzo offering a dynamic edifice, while the balcony floors contrast the starkness with their warm tropical wood panelling. the construction on isbjerget began in 2008 with the projected completion date set for early 2013.

see designboom’s coverage of the project during its proposal phase.

together the triangular volumes appear as abstracted icebergs floating along the aarhus waterfront in denmark

slanted rooftops allow for optimum amounts of sunlight to filter through the interior

façades are clad in white terrazzo

the edifice is divided into triangles in free combinations offering a dynamic appearance

the ‘iceberg’ by night

rendering of the building from the water

the balconies feature glass panels of deep blue on the lower levels up to transparent at the top adding to the iceberg-look of the housing structure

rendering of the site

visualizations of possible interior arrangements

open spaces offer the sunlight to filter throughout the interior

plan

timelapse of isbjerget’s constructionvideo courtesy of CEBRA architects

how to build an iceberg out of concrete and steelvideo courtesy of CEBRA architects

final video of construction progressvideo courtesy of CEBRA architects

project info:

client: pensiondanmarklocation: aarhus, denmarkyear: 2008 – presentstatus: under constructionprogram: urban planning, housingsize: 25,000 sqmcollaborators: CEBRA, JDS, louis paillardimages: seARCH, CEBRA, JDS, louis paillard