Breaking ground for the Crafts College

When the sun broke through the fog over a murky field in the city of Herning, we celebrated an important milestone on the heath of central Jutland. The first Friday morning of March marked the next important step in realising Denmark’s second crafts college when the mayor of Herning Municipality Dorte West turned the first sod together with our client Kristian May, director of Fonden for Håndværkskollegier and BRFfonden. The crafts college in Herning is the second out of three planned colleges that will help strengthen the respect and positive image of the craft profession.

“We believe that creating a good and inspiring housing environment is an essential part of the answer to how we attract more young people to the crafts profession. Therefore, we are proud that we can begin construction of our second college here in Herning. Our ambition is that each college will have its own distinct architectural character and a beneficial impact in the local area. We are positive that this applies to the crafts college in Herning, and we look forward seeing it unfold as construction progresses,” says Kristian May.

The Crafts College will play an important role in developing the next generations of artisans in Denmark. Its elliptical structure emphasises the strong community between the different crafts traditions and aims at strengthening knowledge sharing between them by. Attention is given to natural and reliable materials which are rooted in different crafts traditions – carpentry, masonry, plumbing, and paving – and are part of the Danish building tradition. The overall construction is timber, which will be left exposed, creating warmth and tactility to both the building’s exterior and interior. We will also reintroduce slate in the roof construction, which has been used in Denmark since the 16th century.

“A focus on craftsmanship has always been a fundamental part of architecture and with this project, we have been provided with an exceptional opportunity to increase this focus and gain a deeper insight into good craftmanship. It has allowed us to immerse ourselves in what we in architecture call ‘tectonics’ – the art of combining various elements to give form to an artistic or architectural design. We hope that the building will be experience as just that; an ambitious architectural whole, created by skilled artisans to cultivate a common profession” says Kasper Pilemand, Partner & Head of projects.

Once completed, the college will welcome 70 aspiring artisans. A large workshop and common room create a framework that naturally encourages the residents to meet and form a community around their different crafts. The circular courtyard will form a beautiful public space in Herning, where people can enjoy a moment in the sun, observing life in the workshops, or simply pass through.


The Crafts College in Herning is expected to be completed in May 2025

Read more about the project here