The old, beautiful army barracks in Sønderborg, on the island of Als in southern Denmark, were built in 1907 on a prominent position on a hill, overlooking the harbour. Since 1961, the buildings had been used for educating sergeants, but in 2013, the Danish government decided to relocate the school and sell the buildings in Sønderborg. The old, prominent main buildings were converted to house a hotel, office spaces and facilities for local associations, but the negligible drill hall, built in 1940, and extended with garage facilities in 1968, remained unused. The local foundation Bitten & Mads Clausens Fond (Bitten & Mads Clausens foundation), however, saw potential in the building, and eventually bought the building. Bitten & Mads Clausens Fond is connected to the area’s largest and most well-known business, Danfoss.

The main purpose of the foundation is, among other things, to strengthen the local community through both donations and own projects. The foundation had previously been involved in the establishment of a new luxury hotel, Steigenberger Alsik Hotel & Spa, on the newly developed harbour front in the city. The hotel is very successful, but in need of an additional, larger event space, and it was in this regard, the nearby, former drill hall became relevant.

曾参与过The Light Bulb以及

The Kettle Hall

The local architect firm, ZENI architects, who had previously who had previously work with remarkable transformation projects such as The Light Bulb and

The Kettle Hall

, was hired to design the transformation of the building to become a modern concert- and event space. The project was developed and designed in close collaboration with representatives from the foundation, as well as Jesper Koch, the hotels Michelin Star awarded chef, who helped design the new kitchen facilities.

▼改造后的建筑外观，exterior view of the building after renovation