SHLA's Waterfront Masterplan Wins MIPIM Prize 2009

For the third consecutive year, schmidt hammer lassen architects have landed a MIPIM AR Future Project Award, this time in the Mixed-use Category

schmidt hammer lassen architects (SHLA) have been bestowed with yet another MIPIM AR Future Project Award 2009 for their winning proposal for the Holbæk city harbour masterplan including a new “DGI City” - a sports complex concept developed by the Danish Gymnastics and Sports Associations. SHLA were also awarded the prestigious prize in 2007 and 2008.

The MIPIM AR prize is awarded once a year in various categories by the British magazine Architectural Review at the international property fair MIPIM in Cannes. The Holbæk project was nominated in the Mixed-use category.

“We are very proud to have won this important prize for the third time in a row. It shows that our architecture is competitive internationally and remains competitive year after year. The project in Holbæk, which we won in 2008, effectively unites the city, the harbour and the fjord in a natural townscape and offers a social breathing space in a stressful society,” said founding partner of schmidt hammer lassen, Bjarne Hammer.

The judges commented that “‘what might have been a prosaic response to a conventional waterfront programme has been turned into an occasion for a celebration of architecture, form and seamless combination of uses. Here is urban design and a sense of place.”

Merging new and old
The winning proposal includes a lyrical, contemporary interpretation of a locally anchored, traditional building culture. It is inspired by the vision of an area where new and old merge to create a spatial interplay between the new townscape and the DGI complex.

The sculptural roof profile of the proposal intentionally refers to the heritage and the scale of Holbæk’s old harbour – the site of the shipyard, fishing boats and the scent of wood chips, tar and seaweed.

The overall masterplan and the DGI complex are part of the transformation of the town’s old commercial and transportation port into attractive urban areas close to the inlet, ensuring better integration with the water and making the harbour accessible to all.

Shared civic space
schmidt hammer lassen wanted to create a concentrated urban atmosphere. The buildings are tightly arranged in blocks with narrow alleyways between them. The blocks are clustered around the harbour square – a shared civic space with small shops and offices, cafés and restaurants located around the old shipyard. In addition to proximity to the inlet and the harbour basins, two new channels will also be added to the area.

The DGI complex functions in the same spirit, with an inner quadrangle resembling one of these “town squares”, with the building’s varied functions arranged around it. The DGI scheme is designed to be open and accessible to all, and it offers very flexible, multi-functional settings that match the multifaceted patterns of life and sports of our time.

Thus, the DGI project includes a water culture centre, a flexible multi-purpose hall and smaller activity rooms, a health centre, fitness centre, hotel, café and restaurant as well as a four-screen cinema and sports kindergarten.

—

Here the list of all 2009 MIPIM AR Future Project Award winners in their categories:

OVERALL WINNER

Project: 360° Building São Paulo, Brazil
Client: Stan Desenvolvimento Imobiliário, Idea Zarvos, PDG Realty, Lindencorp, Anfab
Architect: Isay Weinfeld Arquitetura

BIG URBAN PROJECTS

Project: Magok Waterfront, Seoul, South Korea
Client: SH Corporation, Seoul Metropolitan Government
Architect: Samoo Architects & Engineers

MIXED USE

Project: Holbaek Harbour Masterplan and DGI-byen Sports and Leisure Complex, Holbaek Municipality, Denmark
Client: DGI Denmark, Holbaek Municipality
Architect: Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects

OFFICES

Project: Double Jew & Archipel, Lyons, France
Client: Rhône Saône Développement
Architect: Odile Decq Benoit Cornette Architects

REGENERATION AND MASTERPLANNING

Project: Valladolid Masterplan, Spain
Client: Valladolid Alta Velocidad, S.A
Architect: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners with Vidal y Asociados Arquitectos

RESIDENTIAL

Project: 360° Building São Paulo, Brazil
Client: Stan Desenvolvimento Imobiliário, Idea Zarvos, PDG Realty, Lindencorp, Anfab
Architect: Isay Weinfeld Arquitetura

RETAIL AND LEISURE

Project: Timber Stadium, Anywhere
Client: Research Project DRMM
Architect: de Rijke Marsh Morgan Architects

TALL BUILDINGS

Project: Kempinski Hotel & Residence, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Client: Al-Issa Real Estate Development Company
Architect: Perkins+Will

SUSTAINABILITY

Project: 100,000 Euro House, Turin, Italy
Client: Fondazione Symbola Legambiente
Architect: MCA Mario Cucinella Architects

Images: schmidt hammer lassen architects