With its sharp-cut profile, Vestas Technology R&D Centre points towards its surroundings and thus constitutes a distinct landmark. The tone is set immediately when you see the building, which displays and frames a gigantic wind turbine element with its transparent façade. This is a mainstay of wind energy, the place for new solutions and new knowledge of wind energy innovation to develop.
Vestas Technology R&D Center
R&D Center for 500 employees, fase I+II
In the northern part of Aarhus, people traveling on the main approach road, Randersvej, encounter the characteristic building which hosts Vestas's R&D department. When the area was developed in the 2000s, the wind turbine manufacturer decided to build its R&D department at a characteristic location next to its head office.
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- Vestas Wind Systems A/S
- Client
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- Cowi A/S
- Engineer
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- Location
- Hedeager 42, Skejby, Århus
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- Year
- 2007-2010
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- Size
- 18.300 m² + 8000 m²
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- Architect
- Arkitema
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- Landscape
- Arkitema
The centre is located on the highest point of the plot, partly to ensure good visual contact to the surroundings and partly to display itself towards Randersvej. A large glass section recessed in the façade marks the main entrance, which connects to the building's three-storey high atrium, which is a unifying room for the whole building. At the top floor in the atrium's landscape of stairs, a V90 wind turbine nacelle was redesigned into a 3D cave.
In addition, the building accommodates a large auditorium and associated facilities. All offices are designed as flexible units, which supports the idea of project work and knowledge sharing across the company.
The R&D centre brings the company's research and development facilities under one roof and has office facilities for 500 employees, a showroom, large and minor laboratories as well as test facilities.
The project was developed in close dialogue with Vestas, and Arkitema initially conducted a user survey in cooperation with a business psychologist. A client brief and a draft design based on a user process with selected employees were subsequently developed.
