City of Aarhus

Delightful dining spot is a big draw

The City of Aarhus’ new office building in the Gellerup district, BLIXENS, offers so much more than just a place to work. The building’s facilities are open to the public, so both residents and workers can meet and mingle in the restaurant, canteen and café. At the same time, students, entrepreneurs and employees can work side by side in the informal meeting zones.

Furniture with triple functionality
Inspired by Arkitema’s design catalog, HOLMRIS B8 has created an informal atmosphere in the covered urban space on ground level, which is abuzz with life all day long.

”We wanted to triple the functionality of our floorspace and furniture. Our aim was to create furnishings and decor so attractive and practical that employees could use the area for lunch breaks and informal meetings while the public could dine here and enjoy whatever else might be on offer,”
explains Rikke Lindrup Winding, project manager, Department of Technical Services and Environment, City of Aarhus.

In addition to approximately 1,000 city employees, BLIXENS is also the workplace for 50 police officers as well as home to a number of entrepreneurs in the serviced office community, Den Gode By – literally “The Good City”.

Casual design mix
The dining area, which features a restaurant, café and canteen, can seat around 340 people. It is organized into various zones, using round tables, long tables, table and bench sets, high tables and smaller tables – primarily from the HOLMRIS B8 Calfa series.

The emphasis has been on creating an attractive and casual look by mixing designs from FDB, Muuto, Hay and HOLMRIS B8, and by utilizing different surfaces, colors and materials. The informal atmosphere is accentuated by a variety of light sources from Hay, Established & Sons and others.