The Iceberg by CEBRA, JDS, SeARCH, Louis Paillard

The Iceberg’s sharply drawn silhouette with its 11 white peaks is a significant addition to the skyline of Aarhus – both from the landward and the seaward side. The project is located at a prime location on the outmost harbour front in Aarhus’ new quarter Aarhus East and consists of 208 apartments. Like many other worn-out industrial harbour areas, the former container port of Aarhus is being transformed into a vibrant new neighbourhood with a variety of functions – housing, educational institutions, offices, retail, sports and leisure. The Iceberg is among the first completed projects in an area that in the future will be home to 7.000 inhabitants and provide 12.000 workplaces. Its total site area of 800.000 m2 makes it one of Europe’s largest harbour front city developments.

The team’s ambition and starting point for the building’s characteristic design was neither to create an iconic form nor to make a building that looks like an iceberg. Instead, the project originates from very rational considerations and classic architectural virtues. The inspiration for the Iceberg originated primarily from the site’s extraordinary location with spectacular views over the Aarhus Bay. Thus, the seemingly simple task was to maximize views and sunlight conditions for every single apartment and at the same time respect the inland urban context. By turning well-known architectural elements upside down and combining them in different ways these rational basic considerations result in an extraordinary and forward-thinking residential complex.

In order to obtain these positive features throughout the entire complex the design team had to challenge the restraints imposed by the district plan, including the high building density required and the relatively low permissible building height. Instead of following the master plan, which was dominated by traditional closed building blocks with central courtyards, the Iceberg is laid out as four L-shaped wings, where the spaces in between open towards the water. In order to obtain optimal daylight conditions and views over the bay, these angled building volumes are cut up by jagged lines. By remaining well below the height limit at many points while exceeding it at others the architects succeeded in keeping the project's average height within the permissible limits.