[1]
Aarhus Town Hall, Aarhus, Denmark
The Project
The Aarhus town hall was designed by Arne Jacobsen (1902-1971) and Erik Moller (1909-2002) who had won the competition to design a new city hall for Aarhus in Denmark in 1937. The construction of the building was finished in 1941, notable as even though at the time the city was under Nazi occupation, this building was a symbol of democracy, enforced by the architects themselves who didn’t want to create a monument of a building and instead wanted a more subdued, democratic design, even choosing to omit a clock tower from the original design (although the public rejected this idea and the clocktower was added in the end)[1]. The building was on the site of an old cemetery, and adjacent to a public park, Park Allé, comprising of 3 interlocking blocks with two main public spaces, a main hall and vestibule, both four storeys tall. This building could fall into the category that Casten Thau and Kjeld Vindum describe as ‘Modern Monumentality’, which captures the relationship between the classicism of early twentieth century Nordic designs and the characteristics of the Modernity movement that was happening throughout mainland Europe at the time[2]. This involves using a lot of traditional Scandinavian design elements, such as natural, organic forms, and an emphasis on traditional craftsmanship and ornamentation. This is evident in the contrast between the exterior and interior of the building, the outside being a classic example of modernism with its concrete and steel structure and grid-like façade, and the interior a much lighter space, with many decorative, carefully crafted elements and earthy materials.
This building is a good example of excellent daylighting design as it approaches the subjects of function, aesthetics, emotion and the somatic nature of light in a way that relates directly to the context of the site.
Function
This building is in Aarhus in Denmark – this location presented several design challenges that faced Jacobsen and Moller. The light conditions in Scandinavia are very unique and hard to work with as the lighting varies greatly year-round. They experience a long and cold winter, with very little sun during the day, if at all. On the winter solstice the sun shines for only six hours of the day. In stark contrast to this, in the summer months, the sun is almost too bright, shining at low angles, often creating long shadows.[8] Hence, the question of how to bring light into the building effectively all year round was one that needed serious deliberation.
Jacobsen and Moller’s strategy for lighting is very similar to that of a building nearby, the Law Courts at Gothenburg. Jacobsen visited this site around the time of designing the building and thus the two are quite similar in the way they approach the tough conditions presented by Nordic light. The two buildings are located at quite similar latitudes, Gothenburg at 57° 42” N and the town hall at 56° 10” N, and so experience similar sun throughout the year.[3]
The long axis of the building is oriented 15 degrees to east of north, except for the southern pavilion. The interior is planned around three large spaces, a main hall, vestibule and panopticon, all top-lit by roof lights spanning the ceiling. The main hall has a series of curved, east facing roof lights, ending with a large floor to ceiling window at the west end of the hall, which looks onto ancient linden trees. These trees also serve a purpose in the functional part of the design, in the winter they do not obstruct the view of the sun but in summer months the leaves of the trees provide shade from the harsh sunlight. The roof light system atop the vestibule is very different, whereas the light from the east in the main hall was quite directional, the light from above in the vestibule is a lot more diffuse and subtle. The roof lights above the panopticon are carefully placed, the light shining down onto the floor but also further into the basement level. By carefully considering the orientation of the building, its latitude and being sensitive in their design, Jacobsen and Mollek create a space that utilizes the natural daylight available to the fullest extent, although at this latitude, artificial lighting still must be used for most of the day in winter.
[1]
Aesthetic
The combination of light and materials in this building create a very aesthetically pleasing space, the subdued, diffuse light highlighted and enhanced by lighter materials, namely wood. This building is a great example of Danish modernism as previously stated, and so the use of materials and the craftsmanship associated with these materials are an integral part to the design. Pale materials such as white plaster, blond wood, ceramic tile and concrete are known to compliment softer light.[3] This building in particular had a lot of wood, beech and timber paneling in the main public spaces which give the building warmth, both thermal and visual, and makes use of white plaster throughout. Reflective surfaces maximize light within a space as they avoid premature absorption of light. The floor at the entrance is a herringbone floor made of bog oak and reflects light throughout these big spaces and further into the more private office and workspaces that are arranged around them. The brass doorknobs that line the hallway also capture the light in an aesthetically pleasing way, and in nice contrast to the more subtle finishes of the wood and plaster that surround it.
Emotional
When understanding this space and the emotional quality of the lighting design, we must first look at the quality of light in Scandinavia – there has been a long history of artists and architects working with and trying to capture this unique light found in this climate. Oftentimes, the light is quite soft, hazy, muted and has this ethereal quality which many plein air painters have tried to capture.[3] One example of this is the painting Nordic Summer Evening, done in 1990 by Richard Bergh. These painters were able to capture the light in this region quite eloquently, in a way that combined realism and fantasy, capturing the imagination of many. These paintings inspired many architects who wished to capture that same quality of light in their architecture, a light that spoke to people because it grounded them, it gave them a sense of place within these spaces, anchored to the earth but still existing spiritually.[3] This light has been successfully captured in Aarhus town hall, in the undulating roof lights found in the main hall especially. The light from these roof lights is gentle, serene, shines softly on the ground below. This ethereal lighting that stretches from one end of the town hall to the other and even down into the basement prompts an emotional response to all those who visit it, and the connection between the building and the ancient linden trees beyond the west window bring that sense of place, a connection to the natural world, which is a very important part of Nordic culture, having had a largely rural society well into the twentieth century.
Somatic
Although artificial light is unavoidable in Scandinavian design, especially in the winter months, the orientation of the site makes the most of the daylight available. The architects designed custom light fixtures for the artificial light used, most notably the lanterns hanging in the main hall at mid-height, two assigned per bay. [2]
The architects were also aware of the discomfort of radiation from the cold west window and so decided to combat this by introducing warmed air at the floor level, the systems for which hide underneath the floor and behind the beech paneling.[2] They also realized that the effect of the windows in the office blocks might be inverse to the west window and so included blinds so that the workers were able to control the light levels in their workspace as well as allowing windows to open for ventilation during the summer months.
References
1. AD Classics: Aarhus City Hall / Arne Jacobsen and Erik Møller | ArchDaily [Internet]. [cited 2020 Oct 19]. Available from: https://www.archdaily.com/540719/ad-classics-aarhus-city-hall-arne-jacobsen-and-erik-moller
2. Hawkes D. Aarhus Town Hall and the “other” environmental tradition. Architectural Research Quarterly. 2014 Nov 18;18(3):273–82.
3. Plummer H. Nordic Light : Modern Scandinavian Architecture. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd; 2012.
