New life for old furniture
Recycling and upcycling are a high priority in connection with campus development and the move into the University City. Many chairs and tables will be reupholstered, painted or refinished so they can be used again and hopefully last for many more years. You can now see some of the “new” furniture in an exhibition.
Recycling and upcycling aren’t just good for finances, they are also important in terms of taking care of nature and the environment. Group rooms, classrooms, offices, canteens, meeting rooms, hallways and lecture theatres all need furniture, and quite a bit of it to meet the needs of all employees and students.
The majority of our furniture will be reused or upcycled
It was the plan from the very beginning to reuse or upcycle as much furniture as possible from Fuglesangs Allé for the new campus. However, the furniture has to be of good quality for these efforts to be worthwhile. Some furniture is reused as is, others are either painted, reupholstered or refinished so they fit into their new surroundings in the University City or in existing premises in the University Park. One of the criteria for upcycling is that the furniture must suit the surroundings and show respect for the history of a place, while still being modern and functional for the daily work and teaching that takes place there. In fact, the majority of furniture will be reused or upcycled. The furniture will be supplemented by a number of fixtures that help support the various functions of the rooms.
“The furniture will fit really well into the new surroundings and contribute with both history and colours that match the new buildings. And it also lets us bring a little of the culture from Fuglesangs Allé to the University City. With so much quality furniture already in our possession, it's good that we can give them a new life through upcycling,"
says Nanna Calmar Andersen, architect and project manager of the campus project at Aarhus BSS.
Consistent colours
A recurring colour theme has been selected for the University City, which draws on early modernism (functionalism) and nature as a historical reference to the original buildings. It was also important that all furniture could be combined across the colour groups, which means that chairs, tables and lamps must be able to be moved around if necessary and still suit the premises they are moved to.
Would you like to see the furniture?
If you're curious about what the new furniture look like, you can see the exhibition at the following locations:
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The glass corridor between building M and building S on Campus Fuglesangs Allé, from 4 February 2025 to 4 March 2025 and
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AU Library on Bartholins Allé from 10 March 2025 to 10 April 2025.
Upcycling is when a product retains its original form, but elements of it are used in a new product. For example, chairs that are reupholstered or painted. In contrast to this, recycling means that a product is broken down so that the materials can be used in a new product. For example reusing old floorboards as tabletops for new tables.
Further information
Nanna Calmar Andersen
Project manager:
Dean's Office
Aarhus BSS
Email: nanna@au.dk
Tel.: +45 93 52 24 74