Kongens Nytorv marked

Fridays and Saturdays, Kongens Nytorv -the round shaped square at the end of Nyhavn, Store Kongensgade, Bredgade, Gothersgade and the pedestrian shopping street- hosts a flee marked. From Royal Copenhagen porcelain to funny hats and home-made knitting, you'll find everything.

But what first caught my attention was the intergalactic-space-sound coming from an installation. Something between art happening and urban furniture is to be experienced. Kgs.Nytorv is often the place where art appears in an appealing -almost propanganda- way.

- The Cool Globes were exposed there during the Copenhagen Summit for Environment in December 2009
- Sustainable design solutions were shown -in collaboration with an exhibition at the Danish Center for Design, DDC, if I am correct
- Exhibitions describing the water issues in the world were seen there.

This time it is an urban lounge space with huge white cushions to cheel out on. Right next to that "The Wal" is a virtual interactive museum-wall describing the history and characteristics of Copenhagen. It seems those special installations are there to promote the city and the urban lifestyle while the metro works are pulling trees out from the original tree circle of the square and making the crossing over of the Kgs.Nytorv something of a military exercice for pedestrians.

Earlier on the week, going down to catch your metro, you would also have popped into a sound and image installation "Urban Forest". Heavy atmosphere, music and images suggesting to pause, to slow down in your rushy day planning and look around: we are hundreds, thousands of people passing here, running around in the city's web. Well, of course, you would say. But nonetheless, it is a stunning feeling you get when you take time to actually think about it.

Amusement or distraction from the works? Publicity that should inject patience into the citizens and turists hoping to enjoy the recently restaured square? The experience is however fun.

For more information on Kongens Nytorv, see www.cphx.dk/?#/28842/
For more information on "The Wall", see www.vaeggen.dk
For more information on the metro works, see post from the 5th June or visit www.m.dk/Metronyt.aspx

August i Amalienhave

Amalienhave
Location: Frederiksstaden i København centrum,
på den famøse akse Marmor kirken-Amalienborg-Amalienhaven-Operaen
Tegnet af Jean Delognes, belgisk landskabsarkitekt
Indviet i 1979

Min far var på besøg i København. Mandag aften gik vi op af Langelinie og et smut igennem Amaliehaven - et af min fars favorit punkter på turen. Mand må sige at haven er jo planlagt af en Belgisk landskabsarkitekt. Oprindelig troede jeg det var Pechère men det er faktisk Jean Delognes som står bag det grønne og kanted byrum.

I hvertfald er der noget af den belgisk tradition for have- og landskabskunst som er tydlig: et arbejd på den grønne farve skala og en diskret nuancering i funktionerne der skal integreres i en urban have, altså intime nicher, større vandringsalléer, perspektiver og iagttagelsesperioder.

Jeg har ofte nævnt over for venner problemet med haven: for lidt lys om aften som giver utryghed i et offenligt rum (hvor tryghed er det vigtigste for at drage brugerne til sig på alle tidspunkter af dagen), en orientation som ikke stemmer med den eftersøgt og eftertragted udsigt mod havnen og en kostbar velligeholdelse af de geometriske buskater.

Pussigt nok, havde min far fået fat i en artikel i Københavneravisen som rammer lige på pletten og byder på forslag til en let forandring i fremtiden, i håb om at dette ville traffe brugernes -Københavnerne som turisterne- behov og ønsker til den have. Og måske tæmme polemiken rundt om den belgiske have ved at rette dens træk til noget byens beboer kan identifiere sig med...

Her er artiklen.


Du kan også læse om det på
www.koebenhavneravisen.dkpdf/2010/KBHAVISEN_AUG2010_7.pdf

Before Saterday's night fever...

Again a sunny day in the Danish capital city...I ride my bike into town to sense the atmosphere and enjoy some of the summer activities.

Metro, metro, metro, make me a square...

The project of the new Metro Cityring expected for 2018 will not only benefit the citizens on the mobility aspect. Each new stop, each new station will generate a node in the city's web: the underground project pops over ground and provides the urban space with new designing conditions for the new squares.

In order to assure that those squares will be appreciated and used by the neighbourhood's inhabitant, open workshops are organised to collect ideas and opinions from the people. The landscape architects move their studio out in the city...

When and where? 5 Saterdays in a row starting from the 29th May - today the 5th June, it takes place in the inner city at Kongens Nytorv and the stations of Gamle Strand, Kongens Nytorv, Marmorkirken, Rådhuspladsen and Østerport will be under the pen of the Københavner.
Read more on www.m.dk/byrum

Here are some suggestions to watch...(accessible on the website also)

A summer night's dream...?

Kvæstbroen, the dike next to the Skuespilhuset, was supposed to be a parking place. Fortunatelly it isn't. But it is a great activity nerve at summer! The concrete dike is transformed into sand beach and grass fields where you can play volley ball, soccer or just sit on the surrounding benches and enjoy the most beautiful sight of Copenhagen harbour.

Welcome to Ofelia Beach


Again it is something about places which were empty at some point but by their seasonal revival contributes to the city's identity map. Suddenly the Opera house seems closer and the old warehouses too.


Biking hom from the theater, passing by Kastellet and swifting along Langelinie and Svanemøllen strand. Lights and sound from the leisure harbour and from the café on Refshaløen gives the rythm and atmosphere to my route.

Biking between buildings...

...through Holmbladgade and its many times awarded urban renovation project - Holmbladsgade kvarter løft - down Prags Boulevard and to Amager Beach - Amager Strand Park

Again a guided tour organised by DAC and CopenhagenX !

If you haven't tried them yet, I really recommend them!

This sunday, the theme was around the urban lift, or renovation, that Amager East has been achieving during the past years. The whole process has been very long and slow because it integrated a collaboration with the inhabitants of Amager, right from the beginning. This results in a succesful renovation which is now quite recognised and rewarded abroad: the best metro without conductor, the best metro (both prices received in London) and a price for its lighting plan at the City People Light Award 2004 in Brussels.

Among the renovation projects, you'll find the Holmbladsgade kvarter løft, the Amager Strand park and other ongoing projects. Which were the principle/desires behind the projects?
1 to upgrade the city part energy wise and develop a sustainable city
2 to support the existing maritime look and environment
3 to link the city part to the coast and the sea

Brown fields renewal and industrial heritage: several sites with each their characteristics
It is important for the city part to express such principles since it is part of the process of understanding the identity of the site and its inhabitants. Many parts of Copenhagen are witnessing a renewal or uplift after a period of neglect or just ignorance of their potentials. A great deal of the eastern part of Copenhagen -the artificial islands Refshal island, Margretheholmen, Prøvestenen and Amager- were subject to past industrial functions. Many of them have closed down and left some strange noman's land with old -and beautiful, actually-
buildings and factories. Where Amager was more of a factory location, the three other mentionned islands have hosted heavier industry. The trend tends to move slowly the remaining industrial activities to Prøvestenen and start a rehabilitation of the gained grounds: Refshal island and Magretheholmen are to become, one day, a dense city part with creative functions in an industrial heritage.
Such undertakings has been seen already along the waterfront and in the west of Copenhagen with Kødbyen -the meattown or butcher market- and Carlsberg site -the project was won by Entasis.

The tour starts at the Amagerbro metro station. The square at the exit of the metro has been developped as the metro station was planed there. The metro is a very important link of that city part to the historical city center and to the airport. It allowed to start the renewal because suddenly Amagerbro was somehow closer in the city user's mental map.

Holmbladsgade renewal plan is a combination of square renewals, a lighting plan (it seems it is the first lighting plan integrated to a project and not just added on top...quite revolutionnary for Cph, tells one of the guides) and social projects, such as a library, a sport hall, an activity house for the neighbourhood...It is also a plan integrating one of the "green biking roads" in Cph ( on Prags boulevard) and a strategy of small passages and streets going perpendicularly down to the water. Both of them favorises the light traffic: pedestrians and bikes.


Biking down Prags boulevard...
The bike boulevard has been conceived by the landscape architect studio, Kristine Jensens Tegnestue. It links the city to the waterside and integrates 5 activity zones along the way, being small gardens for the neighbourhood -on the elder people's demand- sport and play grounds, outdoor stage. The urban furniture is mainly lamps and chairs: prager lamper and prager stole. The chairs are movable so that groups of friends can gather for an evenig bbq or a little publicum can get around the stage, etc. (they are made in iron though in order to discourage stealing)

Two main stops to observe two buildings by Dorte Mandrup architects: the neighbourhood house -Kvarterhus- and the multisport hall, also known as the Prism.

The first one is a rehabilitation of an old factory from 1880. This city part is packed with old buildings from a previour industrial life. The renewal isn't just tearing them down, but renovates them and give them a function fiting the present demands of th users. In the Kvarterhus, the slabs have been taken out in order to give free height to entrance part and link all functions by around that one space. A wooden structure with niches has been applied onto the facade, functionning as windows between in and out, esthetic and atmosphere bringing to the outside terrasse and -I suspect it but without certainty- a structural role of support for the "slab-free facade". The most known part of the project is the extension at the back: a room for gathering, discussing, meeting...made of wood and glass and a huge bookshelf on the inner side.

The second one, Prismen, closes of a typical "carré" by stretching out the three gables into a huge volume. This method allows more light into the existing backyards than if the "carré" just was closed with buildings of same height. The inner organisation isas described: the ground floor serves sprots such as soccer, handball, volley, etc., while the plateaus higher up are used for observation, gathering or just less space demanding activities such as combat sports, yoga, meditaion. The facade is translucent, revealing to the outside what is happening inside -especially when it is lit at night.
I call the two projects social because they are meant to create a safe frame where young people can exercice and use their energy in a constructive way.

The undone projects...
The citizens have favoured many projects but also layed down veto for too ambitious or "crazy" proposals. Nevertheless they are steps in a greater reflexion on the city, how it functions and how it could look like...
One of those projects, and maybe one of the most discussed, is Kløvermarken. It is a huge green field for soccer and outdoor sport. Many discussions have occured about should it stay as it is -a big outdoor green ground for free recreative use- or should it be built and integrated to the city? When the politician Rit Bjergaard suggested that Cph needed 5000 more housings at a fair price of 5000 DKK -the 5000 til 5000 suggestion- Bjarke Ingels Group came up with the idea to build the perimeter of the field up to a wall of housings. The existing sport fields would be kept in the center and the built frame would work its way up and down depending on the surroun dings and the access to the green center. Politicians were seduced on that rapid and effective answer, but citizens got frighten. The project were never fulfilled but the idea was tremendous, in my opinion (check out on big.dk, KLM 2006).
Since then Vandkunsten has come with another proposal but nothing is sure yet about who or even if there'll be a project there.

Strandlodsvej and Lergravsvej
Still very marked by the ancient functions, this part contrasts strongly with the first visited part.
Here also the metro pops up from its otherwise underground path, creating a dividing wall in the landscape. This less succesful part is at the origin of groups such as the "Metro group" which aims to learn from those mistakes and rectify it by the best means. Again the citizens show to be very active in the making of their city.

The gaz silo, emblem to Amager and its industrial heritage - its is to be preserved and rehabilitated somehow. The municipality is currently trying to find the funds for it. Many examples of rehabilitated silos can be found in Cph. To name only some of them: the Gemini Residence (grain silo from the soya factories in Havnestaden - check out the harbour tour with DAC), the gas silo in Lyngby and the gas silo in Valby. And talking energy, two giant windmills will be established along the shore here and should provide Cph with electricity.

And there lies the sea...
Amager strand park was inaugurated in 2005. Before that the beach wasn't very bathing-friendly: the low waters made it difficult to enjoy a swim or any kind of activity and the so-called beach was more like a sandy grass field. Hasløv & Kjærsgaard Arkitektfirma are behind the project: a 2 kilometers long sand island which pushes the beach part further out and creates recreation lagunes. Connected by bridges, ponctuated by a few concrete bungalows, the island becomes a part of the strandpromenade. Pedestrians and bikers can now enjoy the rich natur - especially the flora-, the panorama view over the Øresund and the crossing ferry traffic. Sports like kite-surfing and wind-surfing are very popular here. Children and amateurs bath and play from the inner beach, in the lagunes, as the professional sportsmen engage with the waves on the exposed side of the island.Amager strand park is also the host for one of the oldest winter bathing club: Helgoland. The club buildings had to be put down during the realisation of the project but have been rebuilt now.

A maritime environment
One of the most published projects must be the Maritime Youth Club, designed by PLOT (BIG+JDS), inaugurated in 2004. A waving wooden deck, under the corners of which class room and workshop spaces have been built, as well as space for storing canoës and kayaks. The remarkable points with this project is how every m² is used and how the architects turned a strong site pollution issue into a boosting element for the shaping of the project. As I mentionned earlier, this city part hosted heavy industry in its early days. This caused heavy metal ground pollution. Digging into the ground would disturb the stability and enhance the pollution effect. Plus, it would cost a great deal to move the polluted earth. So the deck sollution -building over ground- allowed to concentrated the budget on responding to the neighbourhood's needs and avoid a "pollution revival". The deck allows also to profit of m² under and over it. Again the prupose with the project was to give a social and safe frame for kids to use their energy on a constructive way, instead of hanging around and even maybe cause damages.

picture taken 01/01/10 - the deck is very slippery then: take care! I fell badely...

Another maritime project is the beautiful Kastrup søbad -Kastrup sea baths- designed by White Arkitekter and inaugurated in 2005. Like a wooden snail, the protecting wall grows from some 1,5 to 8 meters high and incorporates wooden benches, stairs at different heights, jumping planks at different heights, changing rooms...Accessibility for handicaped was thought as a ramp down to the water (though they would need help to come up and down). The lighting is soft and comes from under/behind the wooden planks giving a warm and smooth glow to the whole project. Definitely one of my favourites since I saw it first time at my arrival to Cph.

Coming soon, the new aquarium designed by 3XN will be situated just a bit more south from the Kastrup see baths. Den Blå Planet -blue planet- will be like a snail or mill with intertwining pools and tunnels for a very special underwater effect...I really look forward to see it realised!

Here ends our tour and it is time to go home and get a good warm cup of tea and crowl out of our wet clothes! Yes, it was raining most of the tour but who cares when the architecture and projects are so interesting and the guide competent!

Guided tour on the marathon...keeping sporty!

Kalvebod brygge and the Metropolzone
Guided tour organised by DAC and cphx.dk

A bit of a surprise when I ran into runners of the Nycredit Copenhagen Marathon this morning. But finally after some slalom between the streets, the runners and the many spectators I got to Søren Kierkegaards plads for the start of the tour. What I didn't imagine was that actually the marathon would follow us during the whole tour or was it us following them...Anyway, the contrast from last week's tour was drastic! So few users on the watersides last week, and a crowd - ca. 12000 runners and probably as many spectators - today!

Brave and courageous we were and especially our guide who had to manage somehow to talk over the cheering fans, the police's little ochestra playing "Under the sea" from Disney's Little mermaid and the sonorous horns and whistles of some enthusiasts.

So, starting at the edge of the Metropolzone, at Søren Kierkegaards plads, our guide presents the projects of the Black Diamond (Schmidt Hammer Lassen) and the Museum for Jewish History (Daniel Libeskind) with a reflexion on the squares at the feet of the two buildings: what are their function? How are they used? Are they used? What weakenesses do they present? The last questions here are especially relevant for the hollow space that Schmidt Hammer Lassen designed out in front of the library. Close to the building, the space is well used thanks to the café who develops its terrasse close to the water. But the rest is a huge empty space for bike-parking and well, it isn't really defined. Like if it wasn't really finished.

But hopefully this will change with the new building on the Bryghusgrunden, the Brewhous ground, (Rem Koolhaas - OMA) and the square would be activated by both sides. Also, Gehl architects are investigating and working on the square. They are architects but consider themselves most as urban planners and urban quality consultants. Read the famous Life between buildings by Jan Gehl and you will understand why: this is THE reference in terms of urban space and creating urbanity.

The Bryghus project is for the moment being validaded. If everything goes well the building process should start in 2011...The project is huge: a combination of offices, housing, cultural institutions, conference center, public spaces and exhibitions, urban promenade, squares and play-grounds etc. Very exciting in terms of life and flows generated and intertwining on the site.

Next stop is the Nycredit Glaskuben building and the Crystal (both by Schmidt Hammer Lassen). It must be the third or fourth time I am told about the Crystal and if I hadn't checked it out in a guide or on the architects'website, I would be able to define its function: extension to the Nycredit bank head-quarters. It seems that the most important here is the "crystal" allegory, the twisted structure touching the ground in three points and allowing public flow to pass under the building. The liberated ground will receive the Cloud landscape project (SLA, who has recently received one of the most reknow prices in the Danish architectural world): focus has been set on the different type of streams on the site, rushing businessmen, wondering tourists, Sunday walkers, bikes... each moving at their speed on their path.
All those projects are situated only 10 minutes walk from the City Hall, Rådhuspladsen and the central station. But too few notice it. Therefore the City is aiming to develop access to the waterfront, to the cultural buildings - e.g. by creating a cultural axe - and connecting the wity centre with the new dynamics happening on the watersides, as they are developping the Metropolzone.

Kalvebod brygge, which is the name of the city part we are exploring, is about to host the Kalvebod bølge project (Julien de Smedt), in a year or so. The purpose here is to create activation/activity sites in the city and on the water. In a mainly business dedicaded area, where quite some projects have risen without a logic and harmony to their context, those interventions mean to saw together the parts, and provide the area with a regained urban quality.

We arrive slowly to the end of the tour with the SEB bank building, designed by Lundgaard & Tranberg. True to their reputation, the detailling is as beautiful as the buildings plasticity! In fact, it appears through my observations that the plasticity can only be right when the detailling is right. Lundgaard & Tranberg are the perfect example for that!

Here, between the two buildings starts also a green corridor leading down to Dybbelsbro (well, it should lead further down, in to the big DSB railway ground but no concrete plan or initiative exists yet). This green path extends from the "blue one", the main canal and waterfront. They profit from each other and should work together to bring life and quality to Kalvebod. The green path will be a part of the new green biking paths passing through the city. If I am right, the landscape architects from SLA work on this project too.

The green corridor develops up to 7 meters height, corresponding to the second floor of the SEB complex. It works as the foyer for the two buildings, as a green lung for the city and as a roof for the new part of the national archive, Rigsarkivet. More of Rigsarkivet can be seen behind the SEB buildings. A huge monolith block without windows, protecting and keeping a national treasure and heritage and the scientists and searchers working on it. The only expression outwards is the brick wall, which paterns apparently are extracted from the very first writings found in Denmark, zoomed up and applied into the facade's plasticity.

Finally we arrive at the Wake Up Hotel and Tivoli Congress Center (both by Kim Utzon). This last building is also the ending of the green floating gardens.

It was interesting to see and get some more details about a part of the city we already had a sneak-peak at last week tour, discovering more of the considerations behind the architecture and plans along the waterside. Copenhagen is really growing constantly. It is really good to see that the growth also is within the city borders, not expanding out on nature and agriculture landscapes, but working on the inner spaces and holes, getting more dense, more alive, and thereby also more sustainable.

I hope to be able to get to the next tour: a bike tour through Amager. We'll be seeing the neighbourhood development at Holmbladgade and Prags Boulevard, as well as biking down the whole Amager Strand Park.

Aftenstemning i Nordhavnen

Man ville ønske at se lige så meget i den indrehavn so her: aktivitet på vandet, unge ved kajen, mennesker på promenaden. Vejret har nok også sin del i billed...

I did it !

Arkitektur løbet 2010
organised by cphX - in collaboration with DAC, 2100.nu and Østerbro lokaludvalg
start at Amerika Plads, 18:00

Just came back from the architecture run through Østerbro: 6km running between buildings, to use the saying Gehl architects had printed on their team's t-shirts.

The concept: proposing a run for sportive citizens (there are as many diffrent organised runs in Copenhagen as there are summer festivals of all kind - to give you an idea) during which the participants pass recent projects, buildings and urban spaces. Hereby they discover a city part and its dynamic development, they become aware of what is happening in their neighbourhood. When I say discover, I mean it and we didn't jus pass some projects: the route took us THROUGH buildings, halls, gardens, backyards, up and down stairs, over the roads and railways, along the dockside... I would have been surprised if we had to plunge in the water or jump from boat to boat.

At the end, water, fruit, energy bars, beer and grilled sausages (on that point an alternative for vegetarians would have been nice), an architecture guide for everyone...and a really nice jazz band setting the atmosphere for a good evening on the docks of Nordhavn.

It was a very fun run! I hope I'll be there to do it next year!

map - source: chpx.dk