Who is Going to Create the Sustainable Framework for the Designers of Tomorrow?

In March it will be announced who will be in charge of the project.

Who is going to design the design school of the future in Kolding? The question arises as a natural extension of the generous donation for a transformation of Design School Kolding totalling DKK 37.5 million from the A.P. Moller Support Foundation, the Augustinus Foundation and the Louis-Hansen Foundation. In addition to a contribution from the school's own funds, DKK 51.5 million will be available to undertake an exhaustive and innovative transformation of the buildings that since 1998 have formed the framework for the design education – an education that not only stands as a beacon in Kolding city's major investment in design, but also has distinguished itself nationally and internationally.

- Design School Kolding wants to be the leading design university in Denmark and also one of the foremost institutions in Europe, and that requires new and updated buildings, says Lene Tanggaard, the Rector of Design School Kolding.

The transformation is going to be completed with a major emphasis on sustainability. This includes not only minimizing the impact on climate, but also creating the best possible framework for social sustainability. Design School Kolding wants to be a place where people thrive, where open plan offices are a no go, where a transformed flexible building provides opportunities for choosing peace and quiet or the noisy community. In short, we want to create the optimal conditions for creative expression, emphasizes Lene Tanggaard, professor of psychology and one of the country's leading researchers in creativity:

- All research indicates that creativity thrives in a dynamic interaction between the disruptions of the outside world and the opportunity to be able to immerse oneself and work closely, hands-on with one's projects. That is what the new, updated version of the school's many workshops will provide to an even greater extent.

Room for co-creation
The space in the existing building is not utilized optimally. The technological development demands future-proof workshop facilities, while the status of Design School Kolding as a university has given a big boost to research – Kolding is the place in Denmark where the majority of design research is concentrated. Not to mention Design School Kolding’s partnerships with e.g., ECCO, LEGO and Kolding Municipality, which also require physical spaces for co-creation.

So, one might ask, why solve the need for more space by staying in the existing buildings? The obvious answer is that the green transition has been one of the cornerstones of the school's teaching and research in recent decades.

- Design School Kolding is a pioneer in sustainability. Therefore, we do not want to add another negative impact to the climate accounts by constructing a new building. We want to transform and optimize the school's existing building which, with its industrial, austere architecture, gives associations to the Bauhaus School – for whom crafts and good workmanship was of particular importance. It is completely in line with the strong values that characterize the school today, says Lene Tanggaard.

In collaboration with the foundations, Design School Kolding has just submitted the transformation project for EU tender with pre-qualification at the beginning of October 2021. The five best applications will be invited to participate in the actual main competition. The winning project will be announced in early March 2022, while the transformed building is scheduled to open in November 2023.

- In these buildings of the future, students will be at the centre of a community that exudes design professionalism, a place with room for a diversity of opinions. Our house and surroundings must provide the framework for the top-most creative expression for the designers who are going to shape the future. The building should give us a sense of belonging, a professional home and show the world that we are solidly rooted in the craft of design as well as in the most visionary design thinking that will carry Denmark and the world into a more sustainable, more open and playful future, Lene Tanggaard concludes.

Fact
The A.P. Moller Support Foundation, the Augustinus Foundation and the Louis-Hansen Foundation will contribute DKK 37.5 million to a radical transformation of Design School Kolding, with a budget totalling DKK 51.5 million. In collaboration with the foundations, Design School Kolding will submit the transformation assignment for EU tender with pre-qualification in early October 2021. The five best applications will be invited to participate in the actual main competition. The winning project is expected to be announced at the beginning of March 2022. The transformation includes the Design School's buildings totalling 8567 m2 in addition to the basement. It will be necessary to re-locate the school during the transformation, which will last from October 2022 until the new building is ready for the planned opening in November 2023.