The Rockmagnet

Museum for Danish Rock Music, Folk Music School with student housing, office and conference facilites, communal housing and regeneration masterplan

  • How do you create a new attraction on par with Roskilde's well-established icons consisting of the Viking Ship Museum, the Cathedral and the Roskilde Festival?
  • The site - the former Unicon concrete factory - is characterized by a series of concrete halls and rough surfaces.
  • The inspiration for the museum comes from the dynamic of personalities often found in a rock band.
  • THE EXISTING HALLS The existing halls in Musicon has a great spatial potential and creates a special identity for the area.  
  • RENOVATION The halls are renovated to let in daylight and create a comfortable environment.  
  • THE COMMUNAL HOUSE The ROCKmagnet's public and common facilities are placed as a village located in the halls.  
  • OPENNESS The halls are opened up with big gates to ensure maximum interaction with the surrounding neighborhood.  
  • PLUG IN The ROCKmagnet is designed with three separate building volumes pluged onto the halls, representing Denmark's Rockmuseum, Roskilde Festival Højskole and Roskildegruppen.  
  • THE RED CARPET A part of the Free Plaza in front of the ROCKmagnet is designed as a red carpet that connects to Rabalderstræde, the main street of Musicon. The rock museum exhibition cantilevers 24 meters across the runner.  
  • The functions of the ROCKmagnet
  • The ROCKmagnet seen from the Free Plaza, showing Roskildegruppen to the right, the golden rock museum in the middle and the Roskilde Festival Højskole to the left. The Free Plaza is a generous space for temporary events.
  • The communal house and the school teaching facilities are placed as a small village in the old concrete halls.
  • Plan: Ground level of the ROCKmagnet.
  • Plan: 1st floor of the ROCKmagnet.
  • Plan: 2nd floor of the ROCKmagnet showing the three volumes of (from above) Roskildegruppen's headquaters, Denmark's Rockmuseum and student housing of Roskilde Festival Højskole.
  • The components of the rock museum
  • From the red carpet you enter the foyer of the ROCKmuseum. The Foyer functions as a stage for concerts and performances, thus transforming the rock museum from a position as a historical archive to a living rock history!
  • The exhibition box of the rock museum is a flexible space allowing various different exhibition concepts.
  • Elevation of east facing facades
  • The Roskilde Festival Højskole student housing is hovering over the old halls - connecting to the communal house and the teaching facilities.
  • A new patio space is introduced in the old halls.
  • Transversal section
  • Longitudinal section through the rock museum.
  • Elevation of south facing facades
  • The urban plan of the Musicon Free Zone.
  • The "play rules" of the whole of the Musicon Free Zone are proposed as a set of guidelines to enhance a vibrant neighborhood that embraces change and temporary activities.    
  • The ROCKmagnet by night.

Rockmagneten is located between Roskilde city centre and the grounds of the annual rock festival: Roskilde Festival. The brief required the preservation of the old industrial halls of the former Unicon concrete factory, as well as the retention of its informal character currently used by artists, skaters and musicians. The aim of the design is to maintain a contrast between old and new by preserving the existing fabric as much as possible and positioning the new volumes above the existing halls. Consequently, the existing building fabric and creative, informal character is retained, with free and unprogrammed public spaces taking pride of place over formal cultural facilities.

Address:
Roskilde, Denmark