Aarhus-based C.F. Møller, Denmark's largest architecture firm with branches in Copenhagen, Aalborg, Oslo, Stockholm and London, is perhaps best known for its cultural, educational and, above all, healthcare-oriented projects around the world. Villa U is one of the firm's lesser-known but equally impressive residential works.
Situated in a green, suburban area of Aarhus, Denmark's second largest city, the 200 sq m two-storey family home revolves around a double-height central space, lit by skylights. A tinted oak and concrete sculptural staircase curls around a floor-to-ceiling brick wall with a built-in fireplace, offering plenty of space to exhibit the family's private art collection.
The house's main entrance leads into a grand foyer stairwell, which is the villa's spinal cord. The ground and upper floors are conceived as two rectangular volumes around it, stacked on top of one another. These unusually angled spaces create playful cantilevered triangular niches, which are used as terraces and accessed from the living room downstairs, and master bedroom found on the upper floor.
91 years after renowned Danish architect Christian Frederik Møller set up the architectural office that bears his name, the firm's original philosophy of seamlessly blending landscape, building design and smaller scale elements is still very much alive. The villa is close to nature, offering striking vistas, which the owners and their guests can take in through floor-to-ceiling windows, framed by dark, patinated zinc. On the ground floor, a living room, a custom-built kitchen and several bedrooms offer direct access to the outside through sliding doors that lead to concrete terraces.
Putting yet another of C.F. Møller's school of thoughts to the test - the ideal of democratic architecture that is accessible to all - the house was designed to be fully accessible to people with disabilities. From the integrated carport to the upper floor, all areas of the villa can be reached via wheelchair, aided by a specially built residential elevator.
This spacious two storey family home features floor-to-ceiling windows, framed by dark patinated zinc and a sky lit double height living space
C.F. Møller took the house’s close proximity to nature into careful consideration, offering points of direct access to the outdoors with various sets of sliding doors throughout the property
The property’s rectangular volumes create playful cantilevered niches, which are utilized as terraces accessed through the master bedroom on the second floor and the living room on the ground floor
The addition of a large sculptural staircase adds an element of grandeur to the open plan living space, curling round the floor-to-ceiling brick wall, which also houses a built-in fireplace
The ground floor of Villa U features a metal framed custom-built kitchen, a additional living room (there is one more on the top level) and several bedrooms
INFORMATION
For more information on C.F. Møller visit the website
-
JLR is a mainstay of modern motoring luxury, but do car brands need creative figureheads?With Gerry McGovern departing from Jaguar Land Rover, what next for the Indian-owned, British-built house of brands?
-
Royal Huisman brings superyacht scale to a new age of sail with the 81M Sky projectRoyal Huisman’s The Sky project is a mission to build the world’s tallest sloop – we explore the technical challenges of creating a sailing superyacht
-
Could this 3D-printed dwelling solve Luxembourg’s housing crisis?With Tiny House Lux, ODA Architects showcases a functional, low-cost and sustainable home that serves as an important case study for the potential benefits of 3D-printed construction
-
Rains Amsterdam is slick and cocooning – a ‘store of the future’Danish lifestyle brand Rains opens its first Amsterdam flagship, marking its refined approach with a fresh flagship interior designed by Stamuli
-
Three lesser-known Danish modernist houses track the country’s 20th-century architectureWe visit three Danish modernist houses with writer, curator and architecture historian Adam Štěch, a delve into lower-profile examples of the country’s rich 20th-century legacy
-
Is slowing down the answer to our ecological challenges? Copenhagen Architecture Biennial 2025 thinks soCopenhagen’s inaugural Architecture Biennial, themed 'Slow Down', is open to visitors, discussing the world's ‘Great Acceleration’
-
This cathedral-like health centre in Copenhagen aims to boost wellbeing, empowering its usersDanish studio Dorte Mandrup's new Centre for Health in Copenhagen is a new phase in the evolution of Dem Gamles By, a historic care-focused district
-
This tiny church in Denmark is a fresh take on sacred spaceTiny Church Tolvkanten by Julius Nielsen and Dinesen unifies tradition with modernity in its raw and simple design, demonstrating how the church can remain relevant today
-
‘Stone, timber, silence, wind’: welcome to SMK Thy, the National Gallery of Denmark expansionA new branch of SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark, opens in a tiny hamlet in the northern part of Jutland; welcome to architecture studio Reiulf Ramstad's masterful redesign of a neglected complex of agricultural buildings into a world-class – and beautifully local – art hub
-
Discover Bjarke Ingels, a modern starchitect of 'pragmatic utopian architecture'Discover the work of Bjarke Ingels, a modern-day icon and 'the embodiment of the second generation of global starchitects' – this is our ultimate guide to his work
-
Step inside Rains’ headquarters, a streamlined hub for Danish creativityDanish lifestyle brand Rains’ new HQ is a vast brutalist construction with a clear-cut approach
