Hendriksholm Church

Churches represent a part of our cultural heritage. Working with church buildings and their surrounding areas therefore requires special considerations. Churches are not formally listed, but they are subject to specific regulations. Hendriksholm Church was designed by Richard Jessen and was consecrated in 1961. It is said to be Denmark’s first Protestant church built in concrete.

With its distinctive architectural and graphic expression in light concrete, Hendriksholm Church has influenced the design of the forecourt as well as the adjacent parking area. The material choices of the forecourt and its figurative design reflect the materiality and geometry of the adjacent church façade. This includes, among other things, the prominent continuous narrow vertical bands in the façade motif and the inward corner markings of the church tower. This distinctive façade motif is echoed by white concrete bands, which form a continuous pattern in the paving while also serving a structural locking function. The church tower is further decorated with subtle cross motifs, appearing as dark recesses in the light concrete. These crosses are incorporated as a pattern motif in the paving using dark concrete paving stones within the large surface of light concrete paving, just as the central entrance area is paved with a cross-shaped dark paving.

The existing oak tree in front of the church is preserved, but as it has a relatively short remaining lifespan of approximately 30 years, we have prepared a replacement by planting a new oak tree on the green lawn in front of the church.

The church makes use of the fish as a symbol, and there was previously a fish-shaped water basin in the grass area in front of the church, which has now been removed. Instead, a smaller perennial bed has been established with the fish as a motif, and in addition, subtly marked fish have been embedded into the white concrete bands — fish in small shoals leading towards the church entrance.