C.F. Møller Architects is designing a new meeting place for village life

Landsbyklyngen Kronjylland

The villagers of Kronjylland near Randers can look forward to a new meeting place that supports community and outdoor activity while communicating the unique character of the area. The village cluster ‘Landsbyklyngen Kronjylland’, which consists of 13 villages around Randers, has long felt the need for a communal meeting place that can function as a centre for activities and community while communicating the area’s opportunities.

A place of high architectural quality and in harmony with the surroundings: the forest, the paths and the proximity to Randers Fjord. Realisation of this vision has come a step closer with financial support from the philanthropic association Realdania and Lokale og Anlægsfonden, and building design and landscaping created by C.F. Møller Architects in collaboration with Landsbyklyngen (the village cluster) Kronjylland , Albæk Borgerforening and the area’s various user groups and stakeholders.

“Our expertise in thinking of building and landscape as a cohesive whole has really come into its own with ‘Klyngehuset Kronjylland’, where the task has been both to create a physical place to meet and at the same time contribute positively to the experience of the surrounding nature. We have succeeded in unifying our skills and having very constructive collaboration with users and stakeholders,” says Julian Weyer, partner and architect at C.F. Møller Architects.

In harmony with nature
‘Klyngehuset’ will be located near the village of Albæk in an area that is part of Randers Fjord, which is enriched with a unique natural environment and historical values which are visible and can be felt, and which have had an impact on the design of the cluster house. The landscape to be established around the house offers space for a wealth of activities, gathering and contemplation. Furthermore, it is designed to be able to handle rising water levels and future cloudbursts.

The building itself consists of three independent houses, which can be used for recreation, communication, cooking and storage of outdoor equipment, covered by a large shared circular roof. Together with the landscape, the large roof and the three houses which are located as sides of a yard, create a number of different outdoor and indoor spaces, including a large central common space between the houses.

Accessible from the houses, the central space can be expanded or reduced in size by opening and closing sliding gates. The gates can be used individually and from both inside and outside to divide the house into several zones according to the changing needs of users or the weather. The central space and the houses share a large wooden floor that also reaches out towards the landscape.

It creates a number of different seating options towards the buildings and towards nature. The large unifying roof is green, but is pierced by one of the three houses from which it is possible to go up and look out over the landscape. The whole building is made of sustainable materials, primarily as a wooden construction, and only lightly touches the landscape so that nature comes very close to and into the circle.

Klyngehuset Kronjylland is thus an open and flexible meeting place that promotes casual leisure activities, such as hiking and mushroom picking, bird watching and mountain biking. At the same time, it will act as a starting point for the communication of the area’s nature, flora, fauna, cultural environments and history. Realdania and Lokale og Anlægsfonden are supporting the project with DKK 4.5 million, and Klyngehuset Kronjylland is expected to be in use in 2024. Source and images Courtesy of C.F. Møller Architects.

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