A multi-faceted development has been unveiled in Aarhus, Denmark, where architects Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and SLETH have planned a mixed-use community packed with multiple urban spaces, green courtyards, and a combination of building typologies. Aarhus Ø will be collaboratively developed with owners Anders Holch Povlsen and Rune Kilden, along with Scandic, Scandinavia's largest hotel operator.

Aarhus Ø, image via Bjarke Ingels Group

A new 500-room hotel, residential tower, and conference centre features unique designs by BIG, while SLETH is imbuing their architectural creativity into two housing blocks. The snail-shaped upper levels of the 16-storey hotel — set to be the largest hotel in Denmark outside of Copenhagen — will host a publicly accessible meandering rooftop staircase that leads to a lush garden. This feature is designed as a civic gesture to the city, which Ingels hopes will become a popular destination in and of itself. 

Aarhus Ø, image via Bjarke Ingels Group

Like the broader neighbourhood, the project will include a number of restaurants, shops and promenades nestled within the buildings. The materiality of the development is wildly different in texture and hue from building to building. Varying according to the typologies and functions described in the matserplan, the development will utilize materials like sandstone, grey-coloured stone, wood, and floor-to-ceiling glass. Situated on the manmade island Ø4, the project creates an entirely new neighbourhood in Denmark's second largest city.

A perimeter staircase meanders up the hotel, image via Bjarke Ingels Group

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