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Ku.Be of Culture Movement

Winner of a competition in 2010, Adept and MVRDV completed Ku.Be cultural center with coloured volumes that define different areas, and alternative paths to explore the building.

MVRDV and Adept designed a multifunctional building for the municipality of Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, to bring people together and improve the quality of life in that area. Blending a theatre, sports and learning into a space where to activate body and mind, the space wants to promote a healthier life for everyone, regardless of age, ability or interest, so to create links between people that wouldn’t otherwise connect with each other.

The six primary volumes which make up the 3,200 sqm Ku.Be of Culture Movement, each with their own programme, are clad in a unique colour and material. From outside these shapes are hinted in the fragmented tile facade. Larger volumes are suited to hold performances or public meetings, smaller ones can be for exhibitions or debates. The fast-pace rooms are meant for dance, or parkour and zen rooms are perfect for yoga or meditation. The in-between spaces, although, become the most interesting areas, entirely user-defined.

The route through the building focuses on developing and encouraging alternate forms of movement. The Labyrinth gets people on their hands and knees climbing through a three dimensional network of cubes from the second to third floors. A net which spans several floors throughout the building, lets users climb up from floor to floor – suspended over the voids – and slides and fireman poles offer a fast way to get back down.

The urban gardens connect Ku.Be and the urban realm, playing an important role in expressing the eight volumes and the activities that happen inside. The diverse landscape – a system of microclimates with changing sounds, lights and scents which blends seamlessly into a hill with integrated slides – reaches out into the gardens and ends in an amphitheatre outside.