With many organisations contemplating their ‘legacy value’, we’re seeing a renewed emphasis on the role of knowledge, innovation and people in business. Looking to engage with its contemporaries in a meaningful and substantial way, VOLA has established the VOLA Academy in Denmark. Designed by LINK Arkitektur, the academy hosts gatherings for international architects and interior designers, providing an architectural think-tank in which industry professionals can share ideas, opinions and inspiration.
The building reflects the minimalist and timeless aesthetic of VOLA’s products through a lean and stylish architectural approach. Materials are few and simple. The building consists of an open steel frame, with glass gables resting on a concrete base below.
At the entrance, two freestanding architectural frames create an eye-catching visual interplay of light and shade, while internally, raw concrete is offset by glass and wood finishes. Seemingly simple in nature, the details are anything but, boasting a well-founded design approach.
With a double-height ceiling in the auditorium, four meeting and conference rooms, the building also plays host to a ‘museum corridor’, which sees display cabinets integrated into the concrete walls to showcase a selection of VOLA products.
Decorative light filters into the building via the narrow window panels, forming an irregular pattern in the façade. Painted in bright yellow, green and orange, the window frames create a bold statement and contrast the large concrete rooms.
The overall design of VOLA Academy was to ensure architectural features and use of materials that highlight a Nordic design language as seen in VOLA’s products, while also maintaining an exclusive feel.
All-in-all, it’s a building that perfectly represents the uniquely international and exclusive feel characteristic of the VOLA range – timeless design, high-quality build and Scandinavian to a tee.
