Image caption: Multi-building - the building will be an icon for the defense - international experience and green Danish knowledge. Copyright ADEPT/ doug&wolf

ADEPT, together with COWI engineers, local Aalborg NORD Arkitekter and GHB Landscape Architects, are behind the winningproposal for an innovative and sustainable building strategy for the Aalborg Barracks. The project includes 9.000m2 of new buildings planned for completion in 2016.

Based on a simple architectural concept, ‘The Green Circuit’, a combination of permanent and fl exible building elements ensures the Danish Armed Forces a long-term strategy for sustainable solutions and a visionary show case project.

Image caption: Workshop Building - The building marks the values of the Danish Armed forces and will be a landmark in the area. Copyright ADEPT/ doug&wolf

‘The Green Circuit’ is a tool for development that connects the barrack area in one fl uid landscape movement and ensures a strengthened sense of community as it embraces the wide spread barracks. In a simple way, the proposal sums up the idea of a clearly understandable string that connects the barracks, the city and the landscape– and replaces older and obsolete buildings with standardised and fl exible building systems,developed to meet existing and future demands of saving resources and optimizing operational costs.

The winning proposal establishes a signifi cant visual identity by emphasising the fl exibility and adaptable character of the Danish Armed Forces.The combination of ‘sustainable and fl exible’ not only points to the actual re-building of the Aalborg Barracks, but also unfolds the potential to create a global show case project identifying a modern version of the armed forces with an evidently sustainable profile.

site location in Aalborg

‘The Green Circuit’ counts besides a clear and visual landscape structure three new buildings of a total of approx. 9.000 m2. Parts of these buildings are designed as fl exible building structures made from 20- and 40-feet containers, that rapidly and effi ciently can be transformed to match the sudden changes of function and areas that characterises the armed forces due to political conversions and military operations.

site outline

The three new buildings; the Multi-Building, the Workshop Building and the Office/Barrack Building is quite simply put together from two architectural elements: a central “Hub” and a “Circuit”. The Hub and the Circuit are supplements to each other and make it possible to transform the building structures into a new functionality and at a new location in a very short time. The Hub is basically fl exible and permanent, while the Circuit is flexible and movable. The building elements are constructed from a simple load carrying system consisting of components that allow facade elements to be dismantled without impacting the constructive priciple of the overall building.

green circuit

The building strategy is based on an industrialised building process involving the manufacturer in a sustainable product development.The buildings are erected with a visual green profi le and a profound focus on ‘behaviour and resources’ as an important starting point for user related savings on energy and resources on a daily basis. Besides the buildings are optimised on energy consumption by adding i.e. movable solar panels and bio-digesters.

connections and demo projects=project

From the jury report it is mentioned how: ’the innovative and radical approach to developing the barracks area has resulted in a strategic and holistic masterplan, showing the way to a remarkable optimisation of the environmental, energy and climatic challenges at the Aalborg Barracks. The proposal is architecturally strong with a clear concept and a signifi cant visual identity.’

example of possible configurations

”We see a need to turn the volume of architectural measures up and down. There is a great potential in thinking about building, landscape and economy as fl exible entities. We imagine buildings in diff erent states – buildings that transform, hibernate and re-emerge with a diff erent function. We see landscape that is allowed to become forest, is cropped, is prepared for building and sold – or vice versa. All of this, will not only create a changeable Aalborg Barracks, it will also unfold the potential to activate and discontinue, involve and exclude” says Martin Krogh,partner in ADEPT.

steable and changeable functions

The project is part of ‘Green Establishments’ - a project facilitated by the Danish Armed Forces to fi nd innovative solutions on how to lower the their overall energy consumption and emission of CO2 through sustainable solutions that are cost effi cient, noticeable on an everyday basis, and are able to put focus to use of resources through visible initiatives.

sustainability section

concept for flexibility and sustainability

the hub and the circuit elements

the circuit components

the hub components

flexible buildings

changing setups

model pictures

building components

changing setups

flexible container

model picture

multi building model picture

office barrack building model picture

workshop building model picture

> via ADEPT