High-profile firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has revealed its design for a cutting edge new neuroscience center in Denmark. Named Neuro, the building will bring together psychiatry and neuroscience research under one roof and feature a clever interior layout that the company likens to the folds of the cerebral cortex.
Neuro will measure 20,000 sq m (roughly 215,000 sq ft) and consist of six floors, and will connect with the existing campus of the Aarhus University Hospital.
Visitors will access the building through a reception area, into a large central atrium which will contain an interactive public exhibition and presentation area displaying the hospital's latest notable research and findings. From here, they will then be able to head to one of the clinics upstairs, a nearby café, or several publicly accessible terraces.
It's hoped that the cerebral cortex-inspired interior layout will encourage collaboration and inspiration between different groups of scientists, as well as increase light inside and make it easier to get around.
"The brain is the most complex organ in the human body," said Bjarke Ingels, BIG founder. "Our design for the new Danish Neuroscience Center in Aarhus, replicates the most essential feature of the brain – the gyrification – to create more connections and space within limited confines. The building folds bring light, lots of new pathways and green pockets into the hospital making nature and biodiversity part of the hospital's research and the healing journey of its patients."
The project is slated to receive a Danish green building standard and does have some thought paid to reducing energy use. Generous glazing will maximize daylight inside, but a metal window mesh will ensure sunlight doesn't unduly warm the interior. Timber will be used during construction, there will also be a focus on natural ventilation, and every office will boast its own outdoor terrace area. Additionally, there will be green roof areas and some greenery planted inside.
Neuro recently received funding and is going forward. It's expected to be completed in 2026.
Source: BIG
