This 14th century farmhouse at Hillerød (Copenhagen) has been renovated and extended, taking care to respect the ancient materials and follow the layout and proportions of the old building: a central body and residual wing around a large court. The main building stands imposingly on a slight rise in an otherwise flat landscape. A steeply sloping roof dominates the main elevation, a long straight surface rhythmically punctuated by a row of windows. In the centre, the striking main entrance stands out for its jutting gabled front. The complex retains all its original manorial grandeur; the extensions simply confirm its historic significance. For this is the site where insulin was first extracted from the pancreas of cows allowing medical science to take a giant leap and laying the basis for the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. The Company gave architecture practice SeARCH the brief of extending their farmhouse headquarters to include a conference centre with large auditorium, meeting rooms, catering facilities, reception and fitness centre for nearby R&D and production workers, guests and visitors. The brand identity the Client wanted the architects to convey throughout was that of a dynamic company. While seamlessly meshing with the ancient buildings, the complex had to be vibrantly modern. SeARCH produced a programme that is both articulated and discreet, acknowledging both pre-existing architecture and the natural landscape. Indeed the site came with several features that could not be overlooked: the rise on which the building stands; a nearby lake; the views across the countryside, and the typology of the local buildings. The new meeting rooms, fitness centre, small restaurant and battery of restrooms were placed to the north between the ancient farmhouse and lake. Stretching horizontally at the feet of the old building, the new lobe-shaped volumes have been set into the sloping embankment. Discreet yet ultra modern additions, they seem to flow effortlessly from the ancient hall on the hill. Fully glazed fronts give views over the lake while the roofs are covered by the grassy slope, enhancing the restraint exercised in the programme. Lobe-shaped skylights illuminate the environments and circulation routes below. Also underground are the restrooms and staircases leading to the old building and the main entrance overlooking the court. Here, the addition of a new east wing and curved volume to connect it to the old farmhouse recreates the ancient courtyard plan. The curved intermediate body echoes its opposite number on the other side of the house while the long east wing dialogues with the old west wing across the court in the steeply pitched roof and plan. It is strikingly contemporary, however, in the irregular roof design that dips and converges to create different shapes and geometries. Continuous, reflecting glazed walls lend a dematerialised feel to the new wing that is accentuated at night as artificial lighting floods from the interior. While the leit-motif of the north-facing extensions is lobe-shaped volumes, here the play is with triangular forms that culminate in the large auditorium.

Francesco Pagliari