Nordkajen
The plan sets the direction for the long-term development of Nordkajen including a design proposal a future university building. The design stands out for its green wedges, a high degree of reuse, and clear strategies for the university building, public spaces and future development.
Rather than locking the area into one fixed future scenario, the plan establishes a clear and simple structure that can accommodate change - as well as meet the varied stakeholder landscape and their needs and ambitions.
The urban development is not designed as a rigid masterplan, but rather as a series of possible outcomes within the same overall framework. Nordkajen can grow in many directions - and this flexibility is essential, allowing the plan to respond to real needs, partnerships and economies over time.
The spirit of the proposal lies in the idea of Nordkajen as an open and experimental neighbourhood, with the university becomes a powerful driver, but with ambition far beyond campus.
Nordkajen should become a place where Vejle moves closer to the fjord, where existing structures are given new life, and where urban life begins early and develops together with the site — not as a fixed image, but as a direction, a structure and an atmosphere that can be carried into the next phases of planning.
The proposal builds on an understanding of Nordkajen as a place rich in hidden qualities. Existing halls, silos, office buildings, surfaces, railway tracks and harbour structures give the area a rawness and authenticity that cannot be created from scratch. Rather than clearing the site and starting over, the project proposes a development strategy that works in dialogue with what is already there.
Some buildings can be activated early, almost as they are. Others will require careful adaptation or creative transformation before they can take on new uses.
A gradual and resource-conscious approach allows Nordkajen to grow organically, while retaining material presence, historical depth and the identity of the harbour.
Early urban life is not an addition to the plan - it is the starting point. Temporary structures, simple places to meet and initiatives rooted in the existing can create lasting activity long before the district is completed. The robust planning framework even ensures that the area can be developed from different scenarios depending on political directions, demographics etc.
Nordkajen will grow in phases: first as an open harbour area with grassroots initiatives and temporary uses; then with SDU as the first major anchor and with new public spaces and buildings around it; and later with green connections, the harbour park and new development plots unfolding over time.
The robust planning framework ensures that the area can be developed from different scenarios depending on the political descisions, and even tofuture visions to accomodate the wide stakeholder landscape and their different interests.
A design vocabulary summarise the strategic choices and urban planning concepts - from the overall organisation to specific public spaces, buildings and edge conditions.
The vocabulary is a toolbox intended to ensure both clear coherence in the development and the flexibility to adapt the project over time. The principles anchor the site in its context by connecting it to the existing city and landscape, while creating an open and varied district that responds to the scale, typologies, landscape qualities and materials of its surroundings.
The first step towards a new, integrated district is the establishment of SDU’s new university campus. The university is not developed as an isolated institution, but rather as the first major catalyst for the transformation of the area.
Architecture and landscape on and around campus become tools for setting a shared direction for the wider district. With SDU on Nordkajen, a new everyday life emerges that extends beyond campus.
Students, staff, entrepreneurs, residents and visitors will share generous public spaces, open ground floors and distinctive waterfront edges. It is precisely this overlap between study life, urban life and working life that gives Nordkajen its particular character. The structure is programmed and organized within a compact building with public-facing functions on the ground floor, establishing a direct connection to the surrounding city. Teaching, research and workspaces are placed in defined zones on the upper floors. This efficient layout ensures coherence, flexibility and optimal use of the building volume.
Type: Competition 1st prize
Program: Masterplan / Education / Transformation
Client: Vejle Kommune + SDU Vejle
Size: 17 ha planning area + 10.000 m² building
Location: Vejle DK
Year: 2026 - 2030
Collaborators: STED By og Landskab, Studio Kondens, Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects
Image credits: ADEPT
