It takes a place for something to take place

Arwos, a public water supply and waste management company, is located in the south of Denmark in Aabenraa Municipality, close to the the border of Germany. The company is currently in the midst of a major transformation with a focus on the relationship between consumer and provider, between the company and its employees and and not least a strategic focus on a sustainable company profile. In collaboration with Fridbjorg, a strategy for profitable, socially conscious and environmentally sustainable future is being developed. A first- and major - step in this process is to unite all company divisions, currently located at many different addresses, in one urban structure – a village – on a beautiful piece of land outside of the city of Aabenraa. Fridbjorg has designed the masterplan and is currently in the process of developing and designing the remaining project including buildings, terrain and landscape.


 

5 cultural swirls

Neighbouring the citizens of Amager with its attractive allotment gardens and the green villages, the new Ørestaden arises. Ørestaden consists of four quarters each featuring its own characteristics. Ørestaden Nord has been almost fully developed and is in use, the Amager Fælled quarter has been partly urban developed, Ørestaden City is already in use, and in Ørestaden Syd the first dwellers have just moved in. The Metro, the roads, the canals, the water areas and the bicycle paths make the four quarters a whole.

CPH City & Port Development issued an idea competition on “Urban spaces Enhancing Life” introducing a 'middle scale' to the environment. Fridbjørg participated in this competition with the project “5 Cultural Swirls”.

The space is characterized as ‘planned order’ with buildings of large scale around the 'Sivegade’. The area appears naked and introvert with the elevated Metro’s linear tracks running through. In the space between these enormous concrete elements, Fridbjørg created a project aimed to establish 5 'cultural swirls' from one canal basin to the other in firm rhythms from the Metro’s elevated tracks, bridges, lamp posts and pavements.

   

Transition zone

In the process of redesigning the insurance company Tryg and it's 60.000 m2 facilities in Denmark, Norway and Finland, the emphasis has been layed on telling a story of growth and balance, contrast and development. The physical translation of company values has led to an inspirational variety of solutions. With this recently finished entrance area in Ballerup, Copenhagen, the 3-years transformation and construction process of the workspace for the approximately 4000 employees is now completed.

 

Support this great Shelterbox initiative . The logo for this campaign captures the essence and communicates the message beautifully. © Design by Delphine Perrot.

Please visit: www.justgiving.com/itsnotmuch


 

The union innovation space

Next to having a 'body' a 'soul' and a function, every organization has its own visual mother tongue - a language that communicates a personality -. an identity. For OAO, an organization assisting public employees in one collective union structure, the wish to send out signals concerning solidarity, credibility and expertice in their environment became essential. At Fridbjørg we took up this challenge to transform three vital spaces according to OAO values - the reception area, the innovation space and the central board meeting room.
 

...The movie

This documentary is telling the story about our extensive redesign and thus, the reorganization of the major Nordic company, Tryg. It looks back and reflects on a natural scepticism from an emploiee point of view that has turned scepiticism into enthuthiasm and positive reflections as a result of the process.

 

Hip hurra

At Fridbjørg we are celebrating our 4 year anniversary at Løvenborg in Copenhagen. After some exiting years with very interesting callenges, our company is taking a minor turn in our professional focus. Having called ourselves designers at Built Identity, we have decided to send a new signal to the marked, now calling ourselves Fridbjørg architects. However, we keep 'Built Identity' as our tag... because thats what we do! We are still passionate designers at heart who wish to interpretate the storries of our clients and reveal their identity into intriguing architectural concepts.

 

Designing for Education                                                                                    Foto: Index

Index:  is a Danish-based non profit organization ’working to promote design and design processes that have the capacity to improve the lives of people worldwide'.
In close collaboration with UNICEF the theme ’Designing for Education’ has been chosen as a design challenge calling for entries from design students globally. The target is to ensure that by 2015, children everywhere, are able to complete a full course of primary schooling.
Partner at Fridbjørg, Kim Fridbjørg has been appointed member of the jury

More about the project here:
   

THE LIVING HOUSE

Since 2007 Built Identity has been collaborating with JJW Architects on creating new design solutions for the "office of the future" for TrygVesta. Working with an organisation of 4000 employees has enabled us to experiment and create a number of exceptional designs that set new standards in the nature of the professional environments.  We named the project 'The living House'. The succes criteria has been to establish a direct link between the strategic organisational targets and the company brand values in all design solutions – from architecture to signage.
 

GREEN LIFT
The combination of nature and tecnology is intriguing and creates an interesting attraction. The objective of combining a lift tower, a garden and a distinctive new floor was, in this case, to create a point of focus – a landmark. By cutting trails of LED lights and making a pattern of brass in a cement floor, the area obtained the identity and personality we wanted.

   

Gold – the metal dreams are made of. In a waiting room which allows visitors to focus before a meeting with the TrygVesta executive board, we created a frieze in gold relief providing visitors with a warm welcoming atmosphere. Or, as a Heiku poem decribes it:
 
A golden sunrise
Mirrored in my opened palm
A new beginning
 

Wall system for construction sites

Every city is constantly tormented by construction sites. It is not unusual that a renovation project or the constuction of a new building creates a big ’site-specific’ system of plywood walls which occupies the public space for month.. sometimes years.
This project ’Running Fence 2' challenges this dilemma and demonstrates how a long lasting construction site has the potential to become a temporary wall of posibilities. The system consist of a number of units which can be combined in numerous ways with different functionalities. Some units has the potential of becoming a space opening towards the city offering new temporary activities such as cafe’s, exhibitions, a fruit stand, a flee market or a buss stop. If you choose to face the unit towards the building site the units can serve the purpose of a coffee space for the construction crew or a storrage space for tools and machinery or building materials.The system futhermore allows you to ’climb the wall’ and enjoy a glance of the city from a new perspective - a temporary lookout tower.


 

Laser cut Corten steel

Working with interesting combinations of materiales is like adding spice to a meel or new instruments to a music composition. It adds flavour and creates insipring moods. At Fridbjørg we like to experiment with intriguing combinatitions and we believe that people who live and work in inspiring sorroundings, nourish their imagination and stimulate their curious minds and creativity.

 

TRYG
Fridbjørg was appointed to create a new signage program for two 60.000m² buildings located in Denmark and Norway.
A series of unique signs have been manufactured.
The signs are part of a design solution by Built Identity covering a complete and extensive interior identity package. 

THE CAFÉ TREE

“Lets meet under the tree for a coffee”. With our design for a new café, we have created a unique landmark in the vast cantine area of TrygVesta – a place for informal meetings or a "relaxed moment" on a busy working day. We wanted to establish a focal point – "a tree in the square" and the opportunity to create a “giant” yet “cozy” lamp to attract people working in the building complex. The solution was an elevated construction covered in plants on the outside with acoustic regulation panels on the inside.

 

GALLERY OF LIGHT
The first impression is important. Therefore, the feeling for a company, it's values and culture must be reflected in the design of the reception area, welcoming guests for the first time. In many ways, the reception is the face of the company.
Our design converts the reception into a welcoming ‘gallery of light’ using two reflecting glass walls, starting outside the building and folding its way into the reception area – like an additional skin directly on the body of the existing building.
 

MYSIGN
MySign is your employee’s desk display which addresses an individual’s need of personalising today’s shifting work-stations in the open office environment. One day at one table, the next in a different department – nobody can tell where they spend their day. With MySign, images of children, spouses, pets, homes, loved-ones, and friends are tastefully displayed for all to see – a personal arrangement that easily follows the individual from station to station.