BYENS HUS

Byens Hus at Stændertorvet in Roskilde is a meeting place for citizens. It is housed in two renovated buildings from 1880-1884 with high preservation value: the old town hall designed by O.P. Momme and the former Duebrødre Hospital, designed by architect J.D. Herholdt.

A HOUSE WITH A CLEAR IDENTITY AND MANY ACTIVITIES

Byens Hus provides a framework for a wide range of educational, cultural, and democratic activities and also houses a restaurant that contributes to life in the city center. Citizens, stakeholders, and politicians have created an overarching vision with four main themes that define the house’s profile and identity:

• Byens Hus as an outpost
• Byens Hus as a permanent public meeting
• Byens Hus as a catalyst for urban life
• Byens Hus for students

THE TASK

With input from a broad circle of future users, we have prepared a vision proposal as well as an overall plan for the conversion of the existing buildings to new functions, including tourist information, a restaurant/café, an auditorium, and exhibition areas in the two buildings.

Cornelius Vöge was also responsible for the renovation of the old town hall. The impressive council chamber from 1884, with its faux gilded leather wallpaper painted with gold leaf, has been preserved unchanged, while new ventilation has been installed above the hall as part of the project. Beneath the town hall chamber, a restaurant and kitchen have been established on the town hall’s raised ground floor, with a view over Stændertorvet.

Externally, new entrance areas and signage have been carefully established for both buildings, with respect for the historic buildings. Corten steel has been used as a simple material that effectively ties the two buildings together.