Arch 305 Studio: January 2012

The petrol station by Arne Jacobsen is positioned right on a harbor near Copenhagen, Denmark. Constructed in 1937, it is recognized as one of the world's 15 most innovative gas stations. It was originally operated by Texaco, but today it is by Uno-X.

The plan is quite simple. More than half of the building is a mechanic's shop, it also contains the cashier's area for the gas station, a shop, restrooms and a service area. The entry is split in two ways, one to the mechanic's shop, and the other into the normal interior. There are two garage doors for cars to be repaired. Today, however, the only functional thing on the inside is a small ice cream shop.

The lighting at nighttime is tasteful, using the underside of the canopy to illuminate the service area. Also, during both night and day, the small, red clock in the corner of the facade is the only aspect of color. Although, in the modern day the clock isn't as necessary as it might've been in the time it was built. Now, everyone has cell phones and watches and iPod's and all sorts of things that they can see the time on, but aesthetically it is a very nice feature.

It's form is interesting because it is a rare combination of extremely minimalist and pure meshed with the organic form of the "mushroom" shaped canopy over the gas pumps. These two elements fuse surprisingly well together. The building is oriented parallel with the road, for the convenience of the customers. One interesting thing that makes this station different from most is that its location is at a harbor full of sail boats and happy weekenders and is the final destination of its customers, instead of just a pit-stop along the way of their journey.