Eye-catching community centre

Pakhuset Braunstein is an architectural masterpiece set on the Køge waterfront.

Photo: Thomas Mølvig, architect, Rasmus Hjortshøj/ADEPT

The centre, with its distinctive roof, stands like an attractive sculpture at the quayside. The large angular roof surfaces are covered with polycarbonate sheets that have been clicked together. The building is a refined offshoot of Braunstein brewery, housed in a series of renovated, adjoined red brick buildings. The new centre will serve as a modern community centre, with inspiration from California. An inviting venue designed for a broad range of events and activities.

Anyone with even a little knowledge of Danish beer culture is familiar with Braunstein brewery. A microbrewery in Køge harbour, founded in 2005 by the Braunstein Poulsen family. The brewery exports to 25 countries, and receives 15,000 visitors each year. The focus is on quality, passion and targeted branding of its products, which in addition to various specialty beers include schnapps and award-winning whiskey.

No detail left to chance

When building on a harbourfront today, it is important to take climate change and rising sea levels into account. This has been done with Pakhuset Braunstein. The architects from ADEPT have drawn on the principles of ‘design for disassembly’. This means that, if necessary, the building can be disassembled and moved to another location.

The large longhouse has an incredibly simple inner structure. It has a steel frame, and a functional core containing a kitchen and toilets divides the interior into two sections. The centre has a pleasant informal feel, while the architecture and interior design have left no detail to chance.

Ceilings and walls are clad with Troldtekt acoustic panels. These are ideally suited to a centre that will be used in such a variety of ways. Claus Braunstein notes that the acoustics are very finely balanced, despite the large sections of glass in the end walls and along the sides: “The Troldtekt panels basically swallow up the noise”. Claus Braunstein is also delighted with the way the distinctive cement-bonded wood wool surfaces become a discreet but key part of the architecture.