The Seaplane Hangar H53

Make architecture, not war – is the short version of the history behind the seaplane hangar on Holmen – a large, wide building originally used for the construction of large, navy seaplanes. In 2001, Dorte Mandrup transformed the building into an unconventional open office space with free-flowing parachutes as room dividers. Today, the transformation has come full circle. From navy activity to office space to educational space, the hangar now functions as a workshop for 300 students from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine arts.

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The hangar, originally designed in 1921 by architect Christian Olrich, is one of the first pre-stressed concrete structures of its size in Denmark.
The conversion is an architectural installation within the landmark building. The office is framed by three white steel structures and between them lay common work areas. The room ranges between two and four stories in height and each structure is “dressed“ with large parachute fabric curtains, which allows for the inner spaces to be opened or closed-off from the rest of the communal office space.

In 2011, Dorte Mandrup was involved in the reprogramming of the hangar to house students of The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.

Seaplane hangar h53
Seaplane hangar h53
Seaplane hangar h53
Seaplane hangar h53
The hangar, originally designed in 1921 by architect Christian Olrich, is one of the first pre-stressed, concrete structures of its size in Denmark.
Seaplane hangar h53
Seaplane hangar h53