DTU Compute Building 324

Campus in a box

"DTU has, with this building, shown great commitment in their wish to condense the area and build new research buildings in a successful and respectful way to the existing DTU buildings and masterplan."
Says the judges about the winning project.

Compute B324 at Technical University of Denmark (DTU), is an intense university learning environment for the Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science. Here, the university’s high ambitions merge with innovative architectural design solutions to create an active learning environment that establishes a strong sense of community. The interior of the building is partially visible behind sandblasted, white and transparent glass. The ground floor houses state-of-the-art classrooms, with offices and meeting rooms on the upper levels. The building is organised around eight towers. The towers are surrounded by an open environment with islands of specially designed study places made of ash wood. Flooded with daylight, all the rooms have soft acoustics, and beneath the sloping skylights, lightweight walkways pass between the tops of 22 evergreen trees that stimulate the indoor climate in this complex building. All the elements in this intense yet open facility has been organised to stimulate and support learning and the scientific work.

A green oasis

DTU Compute is a united green oasis where trees create variation and niches for studying and immersion for both students and scientists. We have designed the building in a way that endorse encounters between students and teachers. The crowns of the trees create a natural ceiling above the niches that are created by specially designed interior, placed to support the social environment but also individual immersion. The trees are a symbol of life, learning, wisdom and experience, all principals that form the encounters between students, teachers and scientists at DTU Compute. The inside of the bulding is related to the landscape outside where oak trees grow around campus. The trees are also supporting the green profile of the building, as they produce oxygen for the surroundings and ensure the best environment for the climate inside. A concept we call Botanical Engineering.

The solar roof of DTU Compute

DTU Compute has a sustainability concept that is introduced through passive and natural solutions, such as the trees production of oxygen. On the roof of the building, solar panels capture the energy from the rays of sunlight which contributes the the heating and electricity production of the building – DTU Compute is designed to be a zero energy building. When the solar energy is not sufficient, energy from supplementing energy supplies are used, and when we have more than enough solar energy, the energy goes back to the supplementing energy supplies. On the roof, containers for rainwater capture the rain to be used as irrigation for the trees and for flushing the toilets in the building.

Sustainable ambitions in the university learning environment

In the project we have worked with issues related to the Sustainable Development Goals. However, the project was not designed to address the global goals, as it was created before the goals were adopted by the UN. We have worked with issues related to: SDG 3: Good Health and well-being, SDG 4: Quality education, SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy, SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production and SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals.

Laboratory

Inside the building is a kind of micro-campus, a cohesive research and learning environment united by the common area with the large trees. Every detail has been considered for the many different processes and situations that are part of scientific work, learning, and interdisciplinary innovation.

Client

Technical University of Denmark (DTU)

Area

4700 m²

Year

2013

Location

Lyngby Campus, DK

Collaborators

Kragh & Berglund, Anders Christensen, Henrik Larsen Engineers

Images

Adam Mørk, STAMERS KONTOR