After many years of use, the original building was in very poor condition. Its brickwork, original roof structure and ceiling lining have been carefully restored and cleaned. A new external glulam structure stabilises the original walls and supports a new roof with overhanging eaves that protect the historic building from the elements.

Large new openings have been created in the south-facing façade, opening towards the neighbourhood’s new communal public space. These strengthen both visual and physical connections between inside and outside and accommodate a wide range of activities.

Odense Municipality has recognised the building in the “Transformation” category as part of this year’s national theme, “Preserve More”, which focuses on giving new life to what we have already built.

The jury’s citation for the Community House includes the following:
“The building’s raw character exemplifies a different approach to transformation. The decision was made to preserve a building that cannot ‘stand on its own’ and has no commercial function, yet retains important architectural features and qualities that tell its history. The glulam columns and new roof offer an interesting and discreet way of achieving this. The building is allowed to speak for itself, avoiding an overly romanticised celebration of its industrial past. The result is crisp, delicate and beautifully executed, and, in keeping with the national architecture policy, the work responds to the building on its own terms. The landscape and surrounding square clearly establish it as the heart of the neighbourhood. The result is visually evocative: necessary repairs become ‘jewels’, and the new structure makes the layering strategy legible, leaving no doubt as to what is new and what is old.”