Community building
Hillerød Parish centre
Type
Public - 2nd prize, invited competition
Team
Cornelius Vöge (lead consultant), Eduard Troelsgård rådg. ing., Masu Planning
Size
540 m2
Client
Hillerød Sogneråd
Status
Not realized
The new parish house by Hillerød Church strengthens the connection between the church and the town through an open, inviting architecture facing Østergade. Inspired by previous extensions, it unites tradition and innovation in both form and material choice. The house provides a framework for community, activity, and presence in everyday life.
INVITING COMMUNITY AND DIVERSITY
Hillerød Church is known for hosting a wide range of events beyond Sunday and holiday services. Accordingly, the new parish house is designed to create space for activity, presence, and closeness. It seeks to reach out to its surroundings, fostering community, diversity, and encounters between people, and making the church and its activities more visible.
Hillerød Church is the result of a long transformation process that has continuously redefined the roles of its existing buildings. The new parish house is anchored in a materiality and design that respectfully integrates with the existing structures. It follows the tradition set by Groth and Brüel’s extension, where only spaces for community are emphasized with prominent roof shapes – such as gabled roofs – while the rest of the building maintains a more modest presence with flat roofs.
RENEWING THE CHURCH’S PLACE IN THE CITY
The parish house will become part of a cohesive church complex, while also drawing the church closer to Østergade. By clearly orienting itself towards Østergade and thus linking church and city, it renews Hillerød Church’s place in the urban landscape – both physically and symbolically.
A public outdoor area in the form of an entrance square facing Østergade combines informality and a sense of everyday closeness. In connection with the café, there are spaces for informal meetings and recreational pauses, where relationships can form and community can thrive. Through the inviting gable facing Østergade with transparent woven brickwork, one will be able to glimpse life inside the parish house from the city. The building thus opens the church to the city, while also rooting itself in the tradition of robust brick architecture.
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