Design and sculptural fun in GFRC - Hans Henrik Øhlers

['White Tube'  is a fun playground sculpture in Guldbergs Plads, Copenhagen N by Danish artist Hans Henrik Øhlers. PU-foam, Steel reinforcement, Fibre concrete. Image by the artist]

['White Tube'  by artist Hans Henrik Øhlers. PU-foam, Steel reinforcement, Fibre concrete. Image by the artist]

I notice this great sculptural playscape whenever I bike past the school and playground in the Guldberg Plads situated in Copenhagen neighborhood Nørrebro. I have not yet got off my bike and on to the sculpture - or into it - but now I came across the piece in the secret goldmine website of Contec, the manufacturer of GFRHPC ( Glass Fiber Reinforced High Performance Concrete) with references you can read more about here and here. I guess I have not passed the sculpture by night either - it must be lovely illuminated from within with the embedded fiberoptics

[Enjoy the great atmosphere and work process conveyed in the video of the last parts of making the White Tube on site by Hans Henrik Øhlers]

And if in Copenhagen, check out the entire outer Nørrebro area, which also features superstar architects BIG and cooool artists Superflex' Superkilen Urban Park

[He looks like such a nice guy. Danish artist-builder-innovator Hans Henrik Øhlers. Via]

Danish artist and builder Hans Henrik Øhlers has developed fun and curious specialities and innovative construction methods that he applies to combine sculptural work with functionality - he makes sculptural playground installations in PU-foam covered with reinforcement and GRC, he does furniture design and custom interior designs for recording studios, and acoustic and light installations. 

As you may tell as you scroll down, I am really happy to have stumbled into Øhlers web site - especially the fact that he values to communicate the process of his projects so much.

[Wave Rock by Øhlers. In PU-foam, black polyurea]

[The Slope slidable sculpture by Hans Henrik Øhlers]

[Øhlers custom designs and makes futuristic sound recording studio interiors. Image via]

[Acoustic wall sculpture by Øhlers. For GL music, studio C, via]

[Images of the process of making the acoustic wall sculpture. Via]

The acoustic sculpture is for interiors. It's really interesting because it features reflecting as well as absormant surfaces. Inside the diffusing (through the holes) sound-reflecting shell, there is sound-absorbing Paper-wool. It is placed directly behind the listener in a sound studio. Check out more images of the manufacturing process here. I am a sucker for improving acoustics and I would love to have a few of these acoustic reefs on my wall - and also, though I am enjoying the crafted work by Øhlers I would wish for the techniques he is developing that they could be scaled in numbers, that is to say industrially made. I mean, wouldn't it be great to have access to more sculptural acoustic solutions.

[Images of 'Organic Lamp 1' by Øhlers. 85 cm diameter, made from GFRC with fiberoptics. Via ]

[Furniture in GFRHPC for theater foyer. Design and production by Øhlers, image via]