It is committed to preserving the unassuming essence of Kunsthal 44 and continues repurposing structures that previously served practical functions, including an old farmhouse, remnants of a demolished farm, a blacksmith, and a 1970s auto mechanic. These have shaped a diverse typological cluster, evident already as construction began, a collage which is amplified with a new hall for sound art and a residency building, forming a central courtyard aligned with the original rural layout. The hall, evocative of a barn, echoes the transformed auto mechanic, while the residency interprets the humble farmhouses.

The manifold heritage of the kunsthalle and its surroundings is evident in the choice of materials, intentionally kept to a minimum, employing unembellished, locally accessible construction components and, more importantly, harnessing their inherent qualities which are typically underutilized in contemporary norms.

For instance, industrial insulation, most often concealed behind finishing layers, is deliberately exposed within the new hall, serving not only to regulate the climate, but also to enhance the acoustics of a space dedicated to sound. Both additions are clad with corrugated steel sheets in varying configurations and dimensions, ranging from the more refined to the rather pragmatic, subtly revealing the programmatic objectives which span from the intimate residential building to the more industrial exhibition space.

In juxtaposing the old with the new, the restorations carefully maintain the characteristics of the existing buildings, while the additions are clearly recognized as contemporary interpretations of them. This interplay between resourcefulness and authenticity is naturally embedded in the artistic program Kunsthal 44, ensuring that it remains a space where local tradition and critical experimentation coexist, elevating the cultural landscape of Møn.

Text provided by the architect.

Emerging from functional necessity, three interposed masonry cores containing essential elements of a house – storage, stairs, and pipework – were introduced in the early stages of the process. Between them residual spaces emerge, not defined by walls, but instead functioning as fluid entities to be inhabited in various ways.

Without replicating, every addition refers to what already is. The masonry of the interposed cores, subtly differentiate themselves from the original bricks in dimensions, tone, and composition. Simultaneously, removed elements, such as crushed bricks repurposed into terrazzo flooring, interweave with the additions, both bringing original craftsmanship into consideration and embracing modern machinery and prefabricated components.

Despite the variation in appearance, every intervention from subtle regrouting of the exterior brickwork to distinct changes of the interior, engages with the existing without overriding its unpretentious character; at first glance, it still appears as just a house.

The transformation embodies an openness towards the unpredictable which does not thrive in the digital and schematic space. The construction site functioned as both studio, laboratory, and forum, fostering ongoing dialogue between the client, craftsmen, and architect. Here, rather than at the office, studies of building physics and materials continuously laid the foundation for every intervention and intentionally slow progression.

It allows the house to be an unfinished collage, cultivated by tactile on-site experimentation. Embracing the inherent uncertainties of the time ahead, the transformation is not aimed at completion but rather transition to another circumstance, acknowledging its eventual succession by others.

Text provided by the architect.