An Inverted-Roof Church With Wood and Bark-Like Façade in Copenhagen | Henning Larsen

This new over 2100 sq m ‘Ørestad Church’ designed by Danish architecture studio Henning Larsen features the amazing use of wood. The entire structure showcase a stunning bark-like exterior with an array of inverted wooden roof domes. The project is in conceptual phase right now. Read more about the project below on SURFACES REPORTER (SR):

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Envisioned and designed by European Prize for Architecture laureates Henning Larsen, the new Ørestad Church is located close to the protected natural area of Amager Fæelled in the Danish capital. This is the first church to be built in Copenhagen in more than three decades. The firm called it a ‘modern monument’. Henning Larsen delivered the proposal for the church in association with the engineering firm Ramboll and Danish studio Platant.

Inverted Roof Let Light Into The Church

The renderings released by the firm depict numerous volumes constructed close to one another and topped with trapezoidal roofs at different heights and angles.

Inverted wooden roofs allow ample natural light to enter the structure.

Integrating Nature

The purpose of the studio is to assimilate nature and natural materials in the design hence the raw feel of wood has been decided for the façade. The firm is tasked to create a building that linkers in people’s minds. Hence, they have chosen to construct a building that "Tasked with designing a building that lingers in your mind, we have chosen to create a building that sits in complete harmony with its surroundings."

The structure gives an organic feel with its wooden and bark-like façade. It is set to be built using timber and finished with wooden shingles. 

The structures give a "sensation of standing under a canopy of trees in a forest". "The intention is to create a church that can command attention, untouched by the bustle of the city, filled with spaces of distinguished simplicity that offer residents solace from their everyday life," said Henning Larsen global design director Jacob Kurek.

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Inside the Church’

The church will have a brick floor inside that will have a variation of colours and glazing. The same brick will be used in creating benches and podiums both inside and outside the structure. 

There will be a flexible room inside the church that will be used to host various ceremonies and services and be completed by a chapel. Further, the church comprises an office and several informal cultural spaces positioned around a sheltered courtyard. The garden inside the green courtyard will be planted with numerous green trees, including grasses, cherry trees and herbaceous perennials reflecting the nature of Amager Fælled, a nearby shielded area. The planting allows people to get shady or bright areas as power the changing seasons for meditation and reflection.

Inside, a flexible room will be used for different ceremonies and services and be complemented by a chapel. Ørestad Church will also have an office and several informal cultural spaces positioned around a shielded courtyard.

The design entrenches modern design concepts of social sustainability into its core. The construction of the building is set to start in 2024, with its sanctification planned for 2026. 

Project Details

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