In the 1800s grain was typically stored in bulk or in sacks in storehouses or merchant's attics in a process that was both labor intensive and physically demanding.

The risk of the products rotting or catching fire combined with the rising amount of cargo arriving made it necessary to find a more modern solution.

[1][2] In 1898 the farmer's cooperative Jysk Andelsfoderstofforretning (JAF) was established and headquartered in Aarhus for the purpose of managing and selling agricultural products.

The complex includes 5 silos and a storehouse in 2 stories constructed of white painted re-enforced concrete with smooth, homogeneous facades absent any decoration.

The area chosen was swampy in a newly developed part of the harbor making it necessary to use a piled foundation with 1200 14 meter long poles.

The name of the complex references the division of the silos into 5 parts inspired by the front gabled canal houses seen in Amsterdam and other Dutch cities.