Luftkastellet Part 1 Project 2005 Nicholas Lobo BrennanVanessa Nkumbula London Metropolitan University | UK Luftkastellet searches for a more urbanistically relevant and sustainable alternative to the intended development of its site in central Copenhagen. Copenhagen’s Rundetårn is a key reference - a 350 year old Church, scientific research centre and library, each autonomous yet linked, where the central ecclesiastical program has remained the same as the programs around it have changed. The project hopes to use Rundetårn’s gap between an appearance/description as ‘institution’ and a performance as ‘indoor-city’ through a combination of warehouse typologies and rooms/‘atmospheres’ for art performance/practice. The scheme was developed sectionally to establish layers of connections and independencies through the building. Nicholas’ project for a new arts-centre on a waterfront site in Copenhagen, is a sophisticated and bold proposal, in response to the studio’s research about the nature and potential of contemporary forms of ‘sacred spaces’. ‘Luftkastellet’ - The ‘Air-Castle’/‘Lofty Castle’ (the name of an existing ‘alternative’ cultural venue on the site) - seems an appropriate name to adopt for this proposal, a place intended for the contemplation of art and ideas. An insightful analysis of the cultural context, an idiosyncratic design process, and the spatial complexity and refinement of the proposal, all bear witness to the architectural maturity and individuality of this student. Nicholas’ proposal seeks inspiration from various ‘Danish concepts’ and carefully chosen spatial precedents. This research informs the project’s urban configuration, its exterior, interior and material definition. A distinct eccentricity, evident also in Nicholas’ analysis and sketches, is present in the forms and powerful spaces of this enigmatic proposal. Tutor(s)