Youth house, Copenhagen

The municipality of Copenhagen wanted a combined facility for a youth club and a sailing club. The latter needed space for boats whilst the youth club desired maximum free space for outdoor activities within the 1600-square-metre site. The architects of PLOT not only had to reconcile these different demands; they also had to tackle a much more serious challenge. The client had set aside nearly a quarter of the overall budget for clearing the site of polluted soil.

The architects must have felt that a lot of the project money was going be wasted on an invisible operation. Instead, they suggested covering the entire site with a wooden deck that would separate playing children from the polluted soil. The buildings and boat storage would be located under the deck. A simple construction based on a timber frame mounted on a grid of poles forms the deck. The two buildings are made of concrete with large expanses of glass for maximizing the view.

The Danish architectural office PLOT was founded by a Dane, Bjarke Ingels, and a Belgian, Julien de Smedt, in 2001. PLOT has its office in Copenhagen's vibrant Vesterbro where about thirty staff members, all around thirty years of age, produce their share of the office's so far impressive repertoire. PLOT has won almost every Danish architectural prize for its projects, buildings and urban design. This year the office has stepped onto the international stage by winning the prize for the best concert hall at the Venice Biennale of Architecture. The prize-winning project was conceived for the Norwegian city of Stavanger.

The Maritime Youth House is a perfect example of the architectural approach of PLOT. The curved deck is not about introducing an advanced formal discourse or architectural philosophy to the project. It is an example of simple reasoning on the basis of the complexity of a programme and a limited budget. The introduction of the deck saves money, integrates the buildings and storage space and offers a safe playground for the children. The deck as such is a core part of the project. It is a component that not only integrates, but also creates a sequence and connection between various architectural elements.

This coherence between the different elements is what it is all about for PLOT. The deck is, in their own words, the 'plot' of the project. A plot is not only an accumulation of different elements but also the creation of something extra. In the case of the Maritime Youth House, it is an interesting visual shape combined with a unique recreational space for children and other visitors.

The plot of a project understood as a simple innovative idea is a common feature of PLOT's work. It enables them to present their often very imaginative architectural ideas clearly to the public. This is also the reason why the PLOT architects succeed in confronting the heavy Danish architectural tradition with new challenging ideas.

With the Maritime Youth House (their first realized building project) and a large housing project nearby due to be completed in 2005, PLOT has joined the circle of established architects. The Youth House shows that strong verbal ideas can become just as strong in reality when architects choose to build for the plot.