Winning team selected: New collaboration to shape university and new neighbourhood at Nordkajen

From the beginning, the competition has had a clear goal: Nordkajen must evolve from a commercial harbour to a new district where the university is an open, inviting part of urban life. At the same time, the area should connect Midtbyen and Fjordbyen.

The task for the three selected teams has therefore been to come up with an overall proposal that shows a master plan for the neighbourhood, an architectural master plan for the university and ideas for urban and student life across seasons and development phases. The winning team will be a close partner in the next phase, where the parties will further develop the winning proposal.

An assessment committee composed across SDU and Vejle Municipality has selected Team ADEPT as the winning team. Team ADEPT is composed of the design studio ADEPT, Vilhelm Lauritzen Arkitekter, STED By og landskab and Studio Kondens. The team was selected on the basis of the proposal's green wedges and connection to the climate park, which together with the quayside and the existing city will create a robust framework for the neighbourhood's development. Emphasis is also placed on the architecturally sympathetic university with good material choices that create a warm and inviting expression. At the same time, the proposal includes a significant degree of recycling and a strategy for sustainability, and there is a clear strategy for the public urban space with a direct connection to both SDU and possible future expansion.

New neighbourhood will grow in stages

Mayor Jens Ejner Christensen from Vejle Municipality is enthusiastic about the proposal from team Adept:

-We get a strong partner who can help us and SDU to bring the university and the neighbourhood together into one whole. We are taking the long view in this process, as the development of Nordkajen will take place in stages. The ambition is to create a neighbourhood where student life, business life, everyday life and access to the fjord are connected. The task now is to work with SDU and Team ADEPT to realise these ambitions so that the whole of Vejle can follow and contribute to the development, says Jens Ejner Christensen.

Rector Jens Ringsmose from SDU also sees great qualities in Team ADEPT's winning proposal:

-SDU's most important task in Vejle is to create a strong university environment where excellent research and education can unfold. Team ADEPT has delivered a proposal where the architectural qualities convincingly support this ambition. The proposal provides a strong foundation for an open, functional and ambitious university in Vejle, which can form the framework for future research, teaching and student life. We look forward to working on this, says Jens Ringsmose, Rector of SDU.

The winning team: We want to develop a solution that can be built and lived in

Martin Laursen from ADEPT is looking forward to the task and the upcoming collaboration:

-We look forward to working with Vejle Municipality and SDU to strengthen the North Quay's distinctive waterfront character - with a comprehensive and holistic solution that is well anchored in the harbour and creates a good framework for both student life at SDU and an attractive everyday life for the entire city. The entire team is really looking forward to working on the proposal so that the development of Nordkaj ensures the ambitions of a vibrant and lasting urban life already early in the process.

Vejle Municipality is planning a number of activities where citizens, neighbours, students, associations and businesses can provide input for the further development of the winning proposal. The dialogue will focus on urban spaces, connections, access to the water, activities and everyday life in the first stages of development.

Upcoming process

In the coming months, Team ADEPT will further develop their proposal together with Vejle Municipality and SDU, including clarifying the main approaches, phases and key priorities. In parallel, a dialogue process with citizens, students, associations and businesses about the development of the North Quay is planned.

Final approval of the proposal is expected in October 2026, after which the proposal for the new university building will be handed over to the future developer. In Vejle Municipality, work continues on the neighbourhood plan, detailing and planning process, including local planning work.

SDU Vejle's university at Nordkajen is expected to open for study start in September 2030.