New twist on a historical style

Næstved in Denmark is a tranquil place. This industrial, port city was an important religious centre in the Middle Ages, and around 40,000 people now live and work here. Many of its buildings have survived for centuries, and the dominant aesthetic is that of typical Danish brick buildings. The Rebslagergården residential building, completed in 2020, is based on this style.

Østergade is one of the oldest streets in Næstved. It is only 350 m from the town centre along this street to the new residential building. It was originally the site of a rope store, which is where the Rebslagergården gets its name. The local authority wanted to increase land use intensity and rejuvenate the old city centre which has many buildings worth preserving. The architecture firm William Tolstrup Arkitekter took on the challenge.
 
At street level, there is an understated façade with a few windows and a gateway. In the inner courtyard there are open spaces for the shared use of the 17 apartments. From there, you can also see the roofs of the buildings which have been extensively planted with sedum. This vegetation creates additional thermal insulation and absorbs a large proportion of rainwater.

Thanks to their brick façades, it is only when taking a closer look that these modern residential buildings stand out from the other adjacent brick buildings, some of which are historic. But appearances can be misleading – there is a load-bearing, CLT structure hidden beneath the brick façade. 
 
The façades are clad in various shades of robust URBAN roof and cladding tiles, which tie in with the historical building stock in the city centre. Ceramic tiles are relatively high density and have good thermal storage properties. They are mounted with stainless steel screws and hooks on support battens and it is easy to replace individual tiles if necessary. This makes the façade particularly low-maintenance and sturdy and it will acquire a patina from the weather and light over time.
 
Should the building one day come to the end of its life cycle, the cladding tiles can be removed and reused elsewhere. Therefore – and in line with Danish building traditions – the Rebslagergården development neatly combines both tried and tested, and innovative features.