Dokk1 houses the Aarhus Main Library, the municipal public services department, theater scenes, businesses and a large automated underground parking facility. The building contains of floorspace, with used by the library and for let by businesses. The remainder of the building is mainly the underground
automated parking facility which features 20 lifts and space for 1000 vehicles. The structure is integrated with the
light rail system with trains running through and under the building including a station.
Architecture The Dokk1 project represents a trend of combining different cultural purposes under one roof along with commercial or business functions. The building houses both public library, municipal services and concert/theater space while the upper floor of the building is for let and the parking garage in the basement is privately operated. Other examples from Denmark comprise Nordvests Culture House, Ørestad's School and
Kulturværftet in
Helsingør. The
neo-futuristic building is designed as a
heptagonal metal disc floating above a glass prism which rests on a bed of wide irregular staircases to all sides. The metal disc holds offices and administration while the glass prism houses the public library, designed to be transparent to all sides and making all activities within visible from the outside, while providing a view across the harbour, bay, forest and city from within. Sustainability are among the seven core values for Dokk1.
Accessibility Accessibility has also been given a high priority at Dokk1. This has been obtained by the use of special designs, furnishings and technology. Elevators, escalators, inclines, adaptable counters,
hearing loop systems and
pictogram signage are among the solutions. Dokk1 is accessible via a station of
Aarhus Letbane just before the lower entrance.
Art In the planning for the project, 1% of the cost was set aside for art and decoration. Above the central staircase in the library hangs a large bronze pipe bell designed by
Kirstine Roepstorff. It is long, wide and weighs close to . The bell is connected to the
Aarhus University Hospital where parents can push a button to activate it when their newborns have been successfully delivered. Outside, below the central staircase and in the ceiling of the underground carpark, is another large art installation, known as Magic Mushrooms. Invented by the Berlin-based art-cooperative
Elmgreen & Dragset, Magic Mushrooms consists of a downscaled 1:100 model of an imaginary city, turned upside down.
Playgrounds A four section outside playground adorns the broad encircling concrete deck. Known as Kloden (The Globe), each section represents various cultures and regions of the world. In the south there is a jungle, a large ape and drawings reminiscent of Egypthian hieroglyphs; all representing the African continent. In the East is an Asian dragon and a bear, representing Russia and Eastern Europe. White wooden platforms fastened on heavy springs are imitating floating sheets of ice from the Arctic in the northern section and a large wooden eagle at an erupting vulcano represents Iceland and the American continent in the west.
Wind panel scandal The climate of Denmark includes long periods of sustained wind and rain, which requires special materials and construction techniques. In June 2016, it was reported that the of
MgO boards, used as wind-barriers behind the building's outward facade, had absorbed water, causing rust and material damage. Over time the damage would evolve and become structural and catastrophic, if the boards were left in place. Workers began changing the plates in September 2016, but the financial aspects of the case has not been settled yet; tax payers will likely foot the bill for the repairs. A leading Danish building expert has estimated the cost to be 1926 million Danish kroner (€5M). Since 2014, the use of MgO plates has caused (and could potentially cause) significant structural damage to buildings in Denmark, and Dokk1 is just one of several costly cases in the country. Dokk1 - 01.JPG|Square of Europaplads (main entrances) File:Tests of Aarhus Letbane 09.jpg|Light rail station File:Tests of Aarhus Letbane 04.jpg|Light rail through the building Hack Kampmanns Plads.jpg|Hack Kampmann Square (2017) File:Dokk1 (trappe) 01.jpg|Stairs Dokk1 (parkering).JPG|Parking area DOKK1 (indgang).JPG|The concrete deck and main entrances Legeplads på Dokk1.jpg|Outside playgrounds == Library and culture center ==