Head of Centre: Anne Beim
Secretary: Birthe Færch 

Centre for Industrial Architecture - CINARK
The centre shall strengthen the understanding and utilisation of the architectural potential in industrialised building and in the design- and knowledge based building (construction) component industry throughout the school, in architectural education amongst architectural professionals. Through an increased contribution to research and education, it is the intention to collect and communicate present knowledge in the field and strengthen the dialogue between architects and producers - industry and operating parties.

The Danish architecture and building industry needs to develop concrete strategies for how the architectural potential in industrialised building can be optimised in preparation for Denmark to occupy an international position within the design- and knowledge based building component industry.
CINARK develops, collects and coordinates research- and educational activities which concern the creation of industrial architecture. The centre shall therefore identify, formulate and revise the specific concepts, essential features and practices, which characterise industrial architecture, in preparation to clarify basic as well as present issues and developing potentials. The centre is involved in close cooperation with the building- industry and the architectural profession.

Inherent industrial production focuses on the optimal use of resources. This comprises economical resources, time, labour, materials and technologies as well as digitisation, which at the present is being made mandatory in all public building projects. This point to the following focus areas in the forthcoming plan period:

• Industrial architecture seen as leverage for sustainable development, including the optimisation of energy and ecology both in terms of construction, operation, maintenance and disposal.
• Inexpensive housing: Based on the present initiatives there is a request to investigate to what degree you can speak of industrialisation - is outsourcing the answer? And how sustainable/energy optimised are the concrete solutions and their transport to Denmark?
• New digital technologies' importance in the architectural design process and a reintroduction of ornamentation in industrialised construction (building). It can manifest itself as communicating layers, characterised in facades, or as graphical interfaces, printed in interiors, etc. The subject can be analysed by two integrated studies: First, a historical study of technology's impact on ornaments' appearance, celebration and elimination, seen through the examples and theory. Second, a study in today's technological paradigm and the resulting possibilities of using ornamental features as a mean of expression in contemporary architecture. Along the way, the handling of the subject will host a seminar series within the field. The presentations and discussions from the seminar series could be preserved publications.
  
  

Another issue that currently characterises the development and the debate in building concerns the user. To what extent and how meaningful is it to engage users in the creation of architecture? This point particularly to:

• Continuing the work to extend the architectural meaning of concepts as system delivery, user-driven innovation and mass customization.

Generally, these focus areas point at a series of international trends and require collaborations with foreign universities, companies and organisations. To start with a pan- European collaboration project has been established together with: Chalmers Technical University, NCC Sweden and PUCA - the French Service for Plan, Urbanism, Construction and Architecture.