Aarhus Police Station
For 104 years, the Aarhus police force was housed in the old Aarhus Town Hall (now the Women’s Museum and the Occupation Museum). The municipality needed to save money, and the town hall still needed to be staffed. As the police force expanded, more space was required, and the construction of a new police station was considered. As early as 1870, an architectural competition was announced by the Aarhus City Council, but this remained on the drawing board.
Facts
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Architect
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Aarhus Municipality
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Aarhus, Denmark
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2,200 m²
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Completed in 1983
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Ingeniørfirmaet Rambøll & Hannemann
Ingeniørfirmaet Crone & Kock
Landskabsarkitekterne J. Arevad-Jacobsen
A police station in growth
It wasn’t until March 1975, 100 years later, that the police station idea was revisited. The Aarhus City Council approved the Ministry of Justice’s offer to purchase land at Dynkarken-Sønder Allé, and the project was put out to tender. Alex Poulsen’s Architecture Office (the name we had at that time) was responsible for preparing the final design. Other contributors included engineering firms Rambøll & Hannemann, Crone & Kock, and landscape architects J. Arevad-Jacobsen. The first groundbreaking took place in January 1981, and the topping-out ceremony was held on June 22, 1982. In September 1983, the police finally moved into the new police station, which was the Ministry of Justice’s largest and most expensive building project to date.
Introverted architecture
The police station may seem imposing in its expression, with its compact facade positioned with its "back" facing the city. This was for practical reasons, to minimize street noise, so that all hallways face the street and all offices face the courtyard. The building’s facades are made of red bricks to complement the architecture of central Aarhus.
Continuous development
Today, urban development in Aarhus has "surrounded" the police station, and there are plans to relocate the police station out of the city center and develop the land. We see potential in maintaining a certain level of closure towards Dynkarken, which is heavily trafficked, while opening up towards the bus station and the area around Aarhus Street Food. The building deserves a feasibility study, not just a bulldozer. We are happy to provide concrete suggestions.
