Transformation of a former factory into affordable quality housing by Arcgency

REUSING OLD INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PRESENT CHALLENGES

Ryslinge is a small town with a population of less than 2,000 people in Central Denmark. It is governed by the Faaborg Midtfyn municipality, which hired Copenhagen-based architecture firm Arcgency to convert an old factory into affordable housing. Camilla Lemb Nielsen, an architect who works with Arcgency, joined in from her office in Copenhagen to speak about the project named Faber Fabrikker. “Rural Denmark has a very rich architectural heritage in the form of old factories and stations, which are no longer in use. Rethinking modern usage for these buildings has a two-fold advantage. They help to respond to current spatial needs of the society while preserving cultural heritage value of these structures.”

Arcgency devised an innovative concept to re-adapt the building into affordable housing through a unique concept, which they called House in House wherein the outer ‘shell’ of the factory is preserved without any additions and minimum retrofits. The ‘core’ houses inside the retained factory shell are independently constructed with wood. The shell and the core are connected through uninsulated spaces, which can be used for various purposes during the warmer months. “The concept allowed us to effectively insulate the building, which is one of the biggest challenges when working with older structures,” Nielsen added.

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PROJECT DATA

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