A new mission

In the city of Hillerød, Denmark, an old mission house from 1889 has been given a new purpose. Preserving much of the existing structure while adding modern elements helped to transform the 130-year-old mission house into 11 contemporary homes.

Echoes of the past

Today, the “Bethlehem” mission house beautifully reflects its past, while the new extension creates a modern atmosphere, which has turned the project into a striking city centre gathering spot. ARCnordic’s design studio played a crucial role in achieving this unique outcome: “The main building itself, the church-like mission house, has been transformed with a new interior, where the dark, low-ceilinged main hall was, there are now bright, inviting apartments on two levels. The old back house is gone, and in its place, we have built a modern building, which in terms of form and material speaks to the main house.” says Peter Lindholm, architect and CEO at ARCnordic.

He elaborates: “It was an exciting challenge to create something that could coexist with the old house. We didn’t want to mimic the current building, but we also didn’t want to create something that was diametrically opposed. We tried to find an elegant solution, placing ourselves somewhere between the extremes.”

A natural choice of material

The choice of material was crucial for the architects. They selected Komproment’s Arena 500L Nordic Red cladding tiles for the façade and the roof of the new extension. The classic red brick tile features a fine interplay of matte and glossy red shades that, like the string-cut surface, gives the tile a natural rustic look, while the slim profile of the tile helps to support the horizontal lines of the building.

Peter Lindholm explains: “The old mission house was built in brick, and it is still standing here 130 years later. As we did not want to copy, but accentuate the existing building, we chose the Arena 500L Nordic Red tile both as a façade and roof solution and in the same warm colour shades. This gives the building a more contemporary look and allows the material to shine.”

Harmonising modernity and heritage

Bethlehem stands as proof that quality and aesthetics can be combined in a modern context. The 11 distinctive homes add new value to Hillerød and send a clear signal of the city’s commitment to preserve its architectural heritage.

“It is of course our hope that the project will serve as an inspiration for many other local communities, where cultural and historical gems can be preserved if local forces join together and think aesthetics and quality first,” Peter Lindholm concludes.