Tiny Church Tolvkanten
“Tiny Church is a new concept where the church is built as a small, sustainable, and movable unit. The Church Foundation and Hans Egede Parish in Copenhagen have been working to establish a church presence in the new residential area of Nordhavn. An architectural competition to design a so-called Tiny Church for the area was therefore launched in the autumn of 2022,” says architect Nicolai Richter-Friis, who is a professional judge on the evaluation panel.
With this exhibition, Ørsted challenged our notions of harmony and beauty in a constant attempt to overcome the impossible. This is expressed in the exhibition’s large ceramic sculptures and extensive series of paintings, where he vigorously experiments with techniques and materials. The works emerge from self-invented systems that are continuously challenged, while all the pieces carry elements of one another.
In selecting a winning project, the committee emphasized criteria such as conceptualization and idea development, sustainability, aesthetics and design, the relationship to the surrounding environment, as well as budget and feasibility.
“Tolvkanten” (The Dodecagon) is designed by Julius Nielsen Office and is unique in several ways. First and foremost, it has a clear concept and a simple design, making it a compelling proposal for Nordhavn’s Tiny Church. The building is a twelve-sided polygon, symbolizing the theological number 12, and creates a spacious and flexible floor plan that allows for various staging options — from farewell ceremonies to performance art. The simple spatial composition between the central church space, the colonnade, the outer wall with niches, and, not least, the veranda, provides great potential for varying the building’s functions. The church space is full of character, defined by the central skylight, which, like an eye to the sky, lets light pour in over the congregation.
The building is also unique in its approach to materials and construction methods, which are both sensible, rational, and poetic in their combination. The building is simple and distinctive in its silo-like form, reminiscent of tent structures, circus tents, old industrial buildings, and the shapes of silo-like cooling or water towers. The Dodecagon meets its surroundings at eye level and is open to all. It strikes a balance between the everyday and the sacred and dignified. The building has a strong ability to create special, magical, enchanting, and moving atmospheres using simple means. Overall, the structure manages to be both very down-to-earth and heavenly at the same time, which is a great strength and makes it truly unique.
When it comes to construction principles and types of wood, the ambition is to use Danish-grown softwood for the main structure. The floor is divided into 12 “cake slices,” with the goal of using cost-effective surplus planks, which may vary in width but should be high-quality wood. The facade and the church interior are intended to be clad with surplus boards from the timber industry and treated with a suitable protective finish.
Tiny Church Tolvkanten has been built all the way out at the far edge of Nordhavn, among workshops and sheds on an 800 m² plot in the Fishing Harbor. Over the next few years, the district is expected to grow from 10,000 to 40,000 residents, and a larger, more permanent church will eventually replace the small church, which can then be moved to a new location where a church space is needed.
The project is directly inspired by a Tiny Church in Amsterdam, which is circular, has solar panels, and can rotate according to the position of the sun. The concept centers around the small house and Simply Living — a simpler lifestyle with more community. The building is intended to be welcoming and sustainable, both in terms of material choices that relate to the surrounding nature and for the people who will use it. There is a strong focus on making the building multifunctional and adaptable. The space can shift between being a church, a cultural gathering place, and more.