Where private and community become one

Construction of the Skibet residential building in Køge Kyst, Denmark, was delayed when a 500-year-old shipwreck was discovered on the site – a sensational find, which ultimately inspired the name of the development. Occupying 9,600 m², this innovative building complex contains a mix of rental apartments for families and apartments within a residential community for the over 50s.

The project has its roots in a vision to create a housing development that caters for different sections of the population, promoting socio-cultural and socially sustainable development. In practice, that meant developing an excellent architectural design with carefully thought-out details, which takes into consideration long term ecological, economic and socially responsible factors.
 
A third of the development is taken up by Lifestyle Housing 50+, devised by Pensiondenmark in collaboration with Realdania. The accommodation for the over 50s includes a number of facilities providing communal activities for the residents, such as a communal kitchen, workshop and outdoor space, an orangery, laundry and library. There is room to play, relax and enjoy social gatherings – for a picnic, a book or fun at the playground in the green courtyard. The many communal spaces merge naturally with the private areas of the building, creating an open neighbourhood.

Both the natural landscape around the project and the story of the shipwreck have informed and influenced its design and the choice of materials. Responsibility for planning and construction lay with architectural firm Tegnestuen Vandkunsten and, according to architect Susanne Schelde, who designed the configuration of this exciting building complex, the choice of EW3373 Safari hand-moulded yellow bricks by Egernsund Wienerberger was a very conscious one. The yellow bricks were chosen for their bright and varied shades, and their rustic, sandy surface. They blend in with the large, bright beach meadow surrounding the development, creating a harmonious façade that contributes to visual cohesion in the city.
 
Designed with great attention to detail and arranged in such a way that they benefit from optimum, gentle light, all the buildings that make up Skibet have been constructed in bright, high-quality materials, which have been certified sustainable. This has earned the building DGNB Gold certificate, awarded by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB e.V.), for economic, social, ecological, technical and process-related sustainability.