Utzon Center
Encyclopedia
The Utzon Center in Aalborg
, Denmark
, was the last building to be designed by Jørn Utzon
, the architect behind the Sydney Opera House
. In collaboration with his son Kim
who provided the final construction drawings, he planned the centre not as a museum but as a place where students of architecture could meet and discuss their ideas for the future. Located on the Limfjord
waterfront in the city where Utzon spent his childhood, the building was completed in 2008.
. As a boy, he spent much of his time sailing on the Lim Fjord or at the wharf where his father, Aage Utzon, worked as a ship-building engineer and where Jørn became fascinated with ships and their intricate designs. These impressions would be a lasting inspiration for his later works.
But the idea of a centre came not from Utzon himself but from Aalborg University's School for Architecture and Design as a place where students could research and discuss architectural trends. At the initiative of Adrian Carter
of the Architecture and Design School, the Utzon Research Center was established in 2003 with the objective of promoting understanding of Utzon's work. In August 2003, a symposium and a summer school brought together 150 participants from across the globe. Thanks to its success, economic support was received from Sydney, Australia, and major funding was allocated by the European Union and the Obel Foundation for the creation of an Utzon archive and research center, providing a basis for the Utzon Center itself. As a result, Utzon and his son Kim were invited to design plans for a new building.
In August 2005, when he was 87 years old, the plans Utzon and his son Kim had completed for a 2,700 square metre exhibition and research centre on the Aalborg waterfront were presented to the press. The Utzon Foundation under university rector Finn Kjærsdam would be responsible for completing the project.
At the time, Jørn Utzon communicated his own ideas about the centre: "From the bottom of my heart I hope that the Utzon Center will be a place where good thoughts will meet, and where the students from the School of Architecture will go when they want to be together to discuss their ideas. It will be a power centre for architecture and human life in the future."
The centre consists of several individual buildings creating a special place around a courtyard on a platform. The tall sculptural roofs of the auditorium and the boathall, both on the harbour front, and the library facing the park area and the city are set off by the lower roofs of the exhibition and workshop areas inside the complex.
The centre is not a museum immortalizing Utzon but rather a knowledge centre designed to convey an understanding of architecture in general and quality in the broadest sense. It also has lecture theatres and workshops as well as a library with bright study areas close to the windows. It also celebrates the boatbuilder Aage Utzon, the architect's father, and includes ships designed by him. There is also an archive of Utzon's original drawings.
The Utzon Center also hosts exhibitions of the work of other architects and has a programme of events of interest to the general public. In 2011, there was a special exhibition devoted to the architect Michael Singer, furniture designed by Jørn Utzon was displayed in the park, and there was a workshop where children could build models under the general theme of "Little Manhattan".
Aalborg
-Transport:On the north side of the Limfjord is Nørresundby, which is connected to Aalborg by a road bridge Limfjordsbroen, an iron railway bridge Jernbanebroen over Limfjorden, as well as a motorway tunnel running under the Limfjord Limfjordstunnelen....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, was the last building to be designed by Jørn Utzon
Jørn Utzon
Jørn Oberg Utzon, , AC was a Danish architect, most notable for designing the Sydney Opera House in Australia. When it was declared a World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007, Utzon became only the second person to have received such recognition for one of his works during his lifetime...
, the architect behind the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
. In collaboration with his son Kim
Kim Utzon
Kim Utzon is a Danish architect, son of Jørn Utzon-Biography:Kim Utzon was born in 1957 as the son of Pritzker Prize-winning Danish architect Jørn Utzon. He studied architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1976 to 1981. From 1986 he was part of Utzon Architects...
who provided the final construction drawings, he planned the centre not as a museum but as a place where students of architecture could meet and discuss their ideas for the future. Located on the Limfjord
Limfjord
The Limfjord is a shallow sound in Denmark that separates the island of Vendsyssel-Thy from the rest of the Jutland Peninsula. It extends from Thyborøn Channel on the North Sea to Hals on the Kattegat. It is approximately 180 kilometres long and of an irregular shape with several bays, narrowings,...
waterfront in the city where Utzon spent his childhood, the building was completed in 2008.
Background
Jørn Utzon grew up in Aalborg, a harbour city in the north of JutlandJutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
. As a boy, he spent much of his time sailing on the Lim Fjord or at the wharf where his father, Aage Utzon, worked as a ship-building engineer and where Jørn became fascinated with ships and their intricate designs. These impressions would be a lasting inspiration for his later works.
But the idea of a centre came not from Utzon himself but from Aalborg University's School for Architecture and Design as a place where students could research and discuss architectural trends. At the initiative of Adrian Carter
Adrian Carter
Adrian Carter is an English architect, Associate professor at the Department of Architecture and Design at Aalborg University , Denmark and Director of the Utzon Research Center in Aalborg. Carter also teaches at the Aarhus School of Architecture, Århus, Denmark...
of the Architecture and Design School, the Utzon Research Center was established in 2003 with the objective of promoting understanding of Utzon's work. In August 2003, a symposium and a summer school brought together 150 participants from across the globe. Thanks to its success, economic support was received from Sydney, Australia, and major funding was allocated by the European Union and the Obel Foundation for the creation of an Utzon archive and research center, providing a basis for the Utzon Center itself. As a result, Utzon and his son Kim were invited to design plans for a new building.
In August 2005, when he was 87 years old, the plans Utzon and his son Kim had completed for a 2,700 square metre exhibition and research centre on the Aalborg waterfront were presented to the press. The Utzon Foundation under university rector Finn Kjærsdam would be responsible for completing the project.
At the time, Jørn Utzon communicated his own ideas about the centre: "From the bottom of my heart I hope that the Utzon Center will be a place where good thoughts will meet, and where the students from the School of Architecture will go when they want to be together to discuss their ideas. It will be a power centre for architecture and human life in the future."
Architecture
With its highly reflective, dramatically curved rooftops, the centre cannot be missed. The rather tent-like spaces they enclose are reminiscent of Utzon's times in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Most of the rooms are impressively well lit, offering views out over the Lim Fjord. To protect visitors from the wind, Utzon has provided sheltered courtyards inside the complex which also contribute to the pleasure of eating in the outdoor area of the restaurant. The building has an open and welcoming look but at the same time has the protective feel of Utzon's houses on Mallorca and of Kim Utzon's other projects, some of which have an almost fortress-like appearance.The centre consists of several individual buildings creating a special place around a courtyard on a platform. The tall sculptural roofs of the auditorium and the boathall, both on the harbour front, and the library facing the park area and the city are set off by the lower roofs of the exhibition and workshop areas inside the complex.
The centre's role
The Utzon Research Center at Aalborg University is responsible for planning the centre's core activities. The top priority is to undertake research directed towards promoting the significance of Jørn Utzon's work and approach. This is achieved by organising workshops, conferences and exhibitions and disseminating their results for the benefit of the architecture profession and the general public.The centre is not a museum immortalizing Utzon but rather a knowledge centre designed to convey an understanding of architecture in general and quality in the broadest sense. It also has lecture theatres and workshops as well as a library with bright study areas close to the windows. It also celebrates the boatbuilder Aage Utzon, the architect's father, and includes ships designed by him. There is also an archive of Utzon's original drawings.
The Utzon Center also hosts exhibitions of the work of other architects and has a programme of events of interest to the general public. In 2011, there was a special exhibition devoted to the architect Michael Singer, furniture designed by Jørn Utzon was displayed in the park, and there was a workshop where children could build models under the general theme of "Little Manhattan".
Literature
- Stig Matthiesen, Bente Jensen, Thomas Mølvig, Utzon & Utzon Center Aalborg: glæden består ikke i at eje - men i at skabe, Aalborg, Utzon Center, 2011. 141 pages.