Sneglehusene | BIG | Bjarke Ingels Group

The ‘Sneglehusene’ are BIG’s contribution to the ambitious master plan of Nye, a neighborhood developed north of Denmark’s second largest city, Aarhus. Conceived as a porous wall, a total of six buildings gently curve around a pond and a green boardwalk at the heart of the development.

The ‘Sneglehusene’ consist of two kinds of stacked modules, which are repeated to create the characteristic checkered pattern. The modules have 2,5- and 3,5-meter ceilings, respectively, and their stacking create generous indoor spaces, floor-to-ceiling windows as well as an outdoor terrace in each home.

BIG Landscape has designed the landscape on ‘Sneglehusene’ site. Green paths and meeting points between the buildings offer comfortable pockets for small talk and play among neighbors. The center of the ‘Sneglehusene’ is marked by an artificial pond, defining a retreat for the community.

The pond manages rainwater runoff, which flows to it from canals integrated in the site. Furthermore, the pond is connected to a system for secunda water, developed and supervised by the local water plant, Aarhus Vand. The system reuses water, collected from the entire Nye neighborhood, cleans it and leads it back to all homes to be used for toilet flushes, rinsing clothes, etc.

The ‘Sneglehusene’ are BIG and Cj Group’s second collaboration. Following the success of the affordable ‘Dortheavej Residences’ in Copenhagen, Denmark, the team was granted a rare opportunity to further adapt and evolve the modular housing concept into an increasingly refined design for the neighborhood of Nye.

PROJECT DATA
Program: Housing
Status: Completed
Size in m2: 9.500
Project type: Competition
Client: Tækker Group
Collaborators: Mads Gjesing, Cj Group, Spangenberg & Madsen, COWI
Location Text: Nye, Aarhus
Awards: Aarhus Kommunes Arkitekturpris 2022

PROJECT TEAM
Partners-in-Charge: Bjarke Ingels, Finn Nørkjær, David Zahle
Project Manager: Joos Jerne
Design Lead: Nanna Gyldholm Møller, Høgni Laksafoss
BIG Landscape: Alexa Haraga, Anders Fønss, Camille Inès Sophie Breuil, Giulia Genovese, Lasse Ryberg Hansen, Ulla Hornsyld
BIG Engineering: Andrea Hektor, Andreas Bak, Andrew Robert Coward, Bjarke Koch-Ørvad, Cecilie Søs Brandt-Olsen, Duncan Horswill, Ewa Zapiec, Ivaylo Ignatov, Jesper Kanstrup Petersen, Jonathan Otis Navntoft Russell, Kaoan Hengles De Lima, Kristoffer Negendahl, Mikki Seidenschnur, Peter Andres Ehvert, Timo Harboe Nielsen, Tristan Robert Harvey
Team: Norbert Nadudvari, Wiktor Kacprzak, Axelle Bosman, Liliane Wenner, Christine Mulvad, Joanna Jakubowska, Johanna Schneider, Richard Garth Howis, Xinying Zhang, Mikkel M. R. Stubgaard, Katarina Mácková, Sean Edmund Deering, Søren Aagaard, Pawel Bussold, Mantas Povilaika, Espen Vik, Lucian Tofan, Jesper Bo Jensen