MAB14

The next Media Architecture Biennale will take place in June 2016 in Sydney, Australia (www.mab16.org). Please note that the information below is regarding the now concluded 2014 biennale.

The Media Architecture Biennale 2014 took place at Godsbanen in Aarhus on November 20-22. Godsbanen is located on Skovgaardsgade 3-5, DK-8000 Aarhus C – it’s in central Aarhus.

A pre-event takes place at Danish Architecture Centre in Copenhagen on November 19. The meeting point for this event is Kongens Nytorv by the Metro Station at 09:00 – it’s very centrally located as well.

MAB14 will organise group bus travel between Copenhagen and Aarhus (appr. 3 hours) for those that have signed up for it, on the afternoon of November 19.

Getting around

Hotels

We recommend these hotels in Aarhus, room rate varies between DKK 900-1200 single and 1200-1500 double. Book direct or use your favourite online booking portal:

• Radisson BLU Scandinavia Hotel (+45) 8612 8665
• Scandic City Aarhus (+45 8931 8100)
• Best Western Hotel Ritz (+45 8613 4444)
• Comwell Aarhus (+45 8672 8000)
• First Hotel Atlantic (+45 8613 1111)
• City Hotel Oasia (+45) 8732 3715
• Hotel Guldsmeden (+45) 8613 4550

Budget hotels:

• Cab Inn is centrally located (single appr DKK 450/night, double room appr. 600/night)
• Zleep Hotel Aarhus is in the inner suburbs but there are many city busses right outside the door that will take you to central Aarhus in less than 15 mins (prices vary, starting at appr DKK 400/night)

Hostel bed (dorm): appr. DKK 150/night, check City Sleep-in

Aarhus

The city of Aarhus is the capital of the Jutland peninsula, and the second largest city in Denmark. Aarhus University is Denmark’s second largest. Aarhus is both a metropolis and a village: It offers cultural activities, shopping, and commerce, but you can still reach the countryside within twenty minutes.

Aarhus is located by the sea, and at the harbour you will see a mix of yachts, heavy cargo transport, and small fishing boats – and a new harbour-front district is emerging. The many parks are all pleasant, and the city has easy access to the woods to the north and to the south, where the woods are bigger and less park-like. It is very easy to go for a scenic run by the sea and/or in the woods in the mornings.

Among the city’s cultural sites the large art museum ARoS attracts attention with Olafur Eliasson’s “Your Rainbow Panorama” at the roof. Den Gamle By, an open air museum featuring historical buildings, is also worth a visit. Famous Legoland is an hour’s drive from Aarhus and very close to Billund airport.

Godsbanen, the conference venue, is centrally located in Aarhus and you will easily be able to walk from your hotels to the conference venue. Nevertheless, other transport options might come in handy.

Bus
Aarhus’ city bus network is well developed. The yellow city buses can take you all over the city – from 5 am to 12 pm. There are also night buses on Fridays and Saturdays. You enter the bus through the back or middle doors and exit through the front door of the bus.

It is a good idea to buy a 2-zone 10-ride ticket at a kiosk if you plan on taking the bus several times. The price is DKK 130. One-way tickets can be bought at a coin machine in the back of the bus for the price of DKK 20.

Midttrafik has more information about bus routes and timetables.

Taxi
In Denmark in general, and therefore also in Aarhus, taxis are quite expensive. However, they are safe, reliable and comfortable. You can call for a taxi, or hail it on the street.

Aarhus Taxa (+45 89 48 48 48)
Taxamotor Aarhus (+45 70 13 31 33)
Aarhus Mini Taxi (+45 86 16 47 00)

Travel – how to get here

Many participants will participate in the pre-event in Copenhagen, making Copenhagen the place of entry and return. Copenhagen as well as Aarhus are easily accessible by trains and boats and planes, or you can drive by yourself if you like cars.

By plane
Copenhagen Airport (CPH) is located in Kastrup just outside Copenhagen. From Copenhagen airport you can either continue by domestic flight to Aarhus Airport (approx. 30 minutes) or take a train to Aarhus. The direct train from Copenhagen Airport to Aarhus takes about 3 hours and costs DKK 358 (one way). It takes 12 minutes to get to Copenhagen central train station (you can choose from metro, train or bus) if you’d like to go see Copenhagen before taking off to Aarhus.

If you are not participating in the pre-event, Aarhus has air travel options too:

Aarhus Airport (AAR) is situated 37 kilometres from Aarhus. It offers a few direct, international flights and has several daily connections to and from Copenhagen. From Aarhus airport there is a 35 minutes airport bus ride to the centre of Aarhus. The fare is 100 DKK, which you pay the driver. Cards accepted. The final stop of the bus is the Aarhus Central Railway Station.

Billund Airport (BLL) Denmark’s second largest airport – is situated 90 kilometres from Aarhus. From Billund Airport there is a 90 minutes airport bus ride to the centre of Aarhus. The fare is 180 DKK, which you pay the driver. Cards accepted. The final bus stop in Aarhus is at SAS Radisson Hotel.

Other possible airports are Aalborg and Karup, which both have a few low-cost airlines connecting to the European region.

By train
Trains to Copenhagen from mainland Europe depart from Berlin and Hamburg 2-3 times a day as well as night trains connecting e.g. Vienna, Munich, Basel and Amsterdam to Copenhagen, sometimes with a change in Hamburg. Same routes feed the train to Aarhus. See times and routes at German Rail (Deutsche Bahn). Leave Basel at 6PM, eat and sleep on the train, and arrive in Copenhagen the next morning at 9AM.