Konrad, Odense

Vestergade 3 has been given a completely new facade expression, and the building now houses a shop on both the ground floor and the first floor, with direct access between the two levels. The shop has a new glass facade extending all the way up to and including the first floor. At the rear, a courtyard garden has been created where customers can enjoy a cup of coffee when the season allows. To strengthen the connection between the ground floor and the first floor, the recessed shopfront of the ground floor facing Vestergade is brought forward and carried upward, so that the facade forms one continuous plane towards the street, and the upper part of the shop is made more clearly visible in the streetscape. The two levels are tied together by a large, prominent staircase facing the facade.

The new facade is an interpretation of the open glass facades of modernism. It is an expression that is true to the building’s era and structural logic, and at once classic and modern. As such, the new facades form a historical bridge between the neighbouring buildings, which date from 1897 and 1988 respectively and reflect the styles of those periods. Instead of masonry piers in the classical sense, the rhythm of the facade is defined by the column spacing behind the glazing, which is visible through the glass. The external rhythm of the window profiles adds an extra layer of subdivision and detail.