Construction on Hjertet (“The Heart” in Danish), a multi-purpose leisure centre in the Jutlandic town of Ikast is now complete.

The 3,600sq m (39,000sq ft) building, which has been described as a “melting pot” and a link between Ikast’s International School and the local community, recently opened to the public.

Among other things, the venue includes a cafe, shop, gymnasiums, and multiple spaces for meditative and performative activities like yoga and dance.

The premises also comprises extensive outdoor facilities–such as parkour and skateboarding areas–and multi-use fields for picnics and sports like beach volleyball.

Additionally, the Heart features six works of art by the Scandinavian art collective TAPKO, all of which were donated by the Carlsberg Foundation.

First conceived in 2015, the centre was developed in collaboration with the Ikast-Brande Municipality, the Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities, and local businesses like Bestseller.

Julian Weyer, architect and partner at C.F. Møller Architects said: "The aim of the Heart is to combine many different facilities and parallel activities, and to use all of the rooms, all the time, all day long, so that the building is always used actively from early morning to late evening–expressed in an architecture that resembles a small town, with varying roof heights and a square which gathers, leads and distributes the users.”

Søren From, manager at Bestseller, commented: “We expect that Hjertet and the surrounding area will benefit the local community just as much as the school, and provide space to play, explore and learn for many different groups.”