In the first part of the text we introduced you to two of  Bjarke Ingels projects, done with studio PLOT, both located in the central zone of the new south suburb of Copenhagen. In this second part of the text we present a mixed use development –  the 8 House, the newest built work of studio BIG in this series. The 8 House is situated at the very edge of South Ørestada, behind which there is a vast flat grass landscape of Denmark and the sea.

Firstly, this project impresses with its size and the complexity of its form. In plan, the building is shaped like the number 8 with two large, publicly accessible, inner courtyards. These courtyards differ in their landscaping, with specific attractive features, and in their atmosphere and light quality, which is due to the geometry of the building itself.

What sets this complex apart from similar atrium forms are the changes in height and number of levels of the building. Additional to providing better sunlight and views, these height changes also allow the creation of public and semi-public pedestrian pathways on the edges of the 8-House. These pathways allow you to explore the complex form of the building not just visually but also physically – by walking through it. Paths start from the ground level, i.e. the courtyard level, and lead to the top, i.e. the roof of the building, along its outer edge from where the surrounding can be seen, or along the inner edge from where the geometry of the building and the courtyards create interesting views.

A walk through the building reveals its complex physical structure and form, as well as the structure and profile of its inhabitants. The inner street, lined with small terraces, allows unobstructed views into apartment interiors, thanks to the lack of curtains or shades on Danish windows. Baby carriages, toys and other equipment can be seen on most terraces and around the building, leading to the conclusion that the majority of this development’s inhabitants are young couples with kids.

The network of pedestrian paths, stairs and passages allows the dwellers to have a different perspective on their living unit. In a conventional building they live in an apartment on the n-th floor with no direct contact with the ground or the community around them, while in the 8-House they can step out to a public surface almost directly from their living room. The architect’s intention was to create a sense of community and belonging characteristic for small towns with family houses, while still maintaining a high density and urban living conditions. Thanks to this the whole complex seams self-reliant: it allows for apartment diversity, and also includes offices, a cafe, restaurant, grocery store, child care and all other auxiliary  programs inherent to a housing complex.

Besides all obvious advantages and the architects’ good intentions, this innovative form also has a few flaws. The complex geometry caused a complex bearing structure, and the height changes that allow pedestrians to climb up to the roof, create complicated solutions in the interior space and prevent the establishment of a clear simple floor level.

A very specific problem, unpredictable during the design phase, is created by the multitude of visitors who come to tour this extraordinary example of housing architecture. Moving freely on public paths, the building’s inner streets, they often invade the residents’ privacy by entering their private, although only partially fenced, terraces. This made it necessary to post warning notices about the rules of conduct of visitors on the most frequented parts of the building, as well as on its website. Additionally, some of the residents protected their property physicaly, blocking the entrance to the terraces, which actually denies one the main motives of the 8-House living concept.

Text and photos: Milena Zindović

If you are planning  a visit to Copenhagen and exploring it’s many tourist features, all official guides will first direct you to tourist spots such as the main pedestrian street Strøget, the Royal Palace, the old theme park Tivoli or the Little Mermaid statue. However, what makes Copenhagen different then other European capitals is that it’s also famous for contemporary architecture.

In its tourist offer, this city emphasizes some of the extraordinary examples of today’s architecture, by both Danish and foreign architects. It’s also unique in the fact that these high achievements of Danish architecture are not limited to public programs such as operas, libraries or museums,  but are also visible in innovative housing complexes, which represents some of the most interesting examples of global contemporary housing architecture. And the most commonly met name among Danish architecture offices distinguished by their housing projects, is certainly that of Bjarke Ingels.

CAB has visited and photographed three famous and impressive housing complexes in Ørestadu, a southern suburb of Copenhagen that is the home of some of these inventive and contemporary public and housing architecture. BIG’s contribution to this new town is visible in three housing structures:  VM Houses, Mountain and 8 House. The first part of this report will present you with the first two projects, since they are both physically close, and thus in the same suburban context, and are also the early work of this, today globally known, architect.

VM Houses are one of the first built projects by Bjarke Ingels (2004-2005), done as part of the architecture studio PLOT in which Ingels partnered with Julien De Smedt. This housing complex consists of two separate buildings, whose plans are reminiscent of the shapes of letters V and M, hence the name of the project.  This, thanks to its architecture, easily recognized building complex is located on the main axes of development of  Ørestad – right next to the main elevated metro line. The buildings are free-standing, positioned perpendicular to the street, which emphasizes the in-between spaces created between them. They are not oriented towards the street, therefore there is no defined street front, but towards well designed and groomed inner parks.

A clear definition of the complex’s block doesn’t exist, instead the two buildings become part of a series of free-standing contemporary public and housing project lining the street. Completely accessible green areas next to the buildings, a public ground-floor that doesn’t block pedestrian flow and large glass facade surfaces that allow a glimpse into modern interiors, all create an impression of openness and democracy. The architecture of this houses represents the Danish society and its values.

Right adjunct to the VM Houses is another housing complex called the Mountain. This 2008. project is maybe the most famous work of Bjarke Ingels and the PLOT architecture studio. It’s characterized by a completely different approach to the concept of living. Althought this builing is also right next to the main street and metro line, it’s street facade is dominated by the garage. First few levels of the street facade are actually the building’s parking facility, and it’s only publicly accessible part. The entrance and access to innovative elevators that move both vertically and horizontally are strictly controlled, and create an impression of an exclusive building.

The occupant’s privacy is completely secured from all sides: the wooden decks orriented towards the park and the canal are rising from the ground to the top of the Mountain without the possibility of curious looks into the inner world of this impressive structure. Thanks to this architectural solution each apartment has its own piece of greenery, nature and open sky, while entirely maintaining its privacy.

VM Houses and the Mountain are builidngs in a series of interesting and innovative responses of Danish architects to the challenges of a new city development. Located along the main traffic axes that connects Ørestad to downtown Copenhagen, these builings, together with Ørestad High School and Library, a big commercial mall and other public buildings, create the center of the new city.

To be continued…

Text: Milena Zindović

Superkilen urban park by Danish architecture studio BIG, Berlin-based landscape architecture studio TOPOTEK1 and artists group SUPERFLEX from Copenhagen, conceived as a giant exhibition of urban best practice by incorporating everyday objects from more than 60 different cultures, constitutes a rare fusion of architecture, landscape and art.

The kilometer long urban park wedges through the Norrebro area just north of the Copenhagen city center, creating a different yet unifying space in one of the most ethnically diverse and socially challenged neighborhoods in Denmark. The aim of the invited competition initiated by the City of Copenhagen and Realdania Foundation back in 2005 was to create a truly unique urban space with a strong identity on a local and global scale. The 13.4 million euro development started construction in 2009 and opened to the public in June 2012.

Superkilen is divided into three color-coded areas, each with a distinct atmospheric and functional condition: the large and expansive red square which serves as an extension of the adjacent sports hall offering a range of recreational and cultural activities; the black square as the heart of the Superkilen where locals can meet by the Moroccan fountain or a game of chess; and a linear green stretch as a natural meeting place for large-scale sports activities providing vantage points over the surroundings. The three areas form the backdrop to the surrealist collection of global urban diversity of more than 100 objects from 60 cultures which reflect the true nature of the local neighborhood. The objects were selected through an intensive curatorial process in close collaboration with the local population.

“Rather than a public outreach process towards the lowest common denominator or a politically correct post rationalization of preconceived ideas navigated around any potential public resistance – we proposed public participation as the driving force of the design leading towards the maximum freedom of expression. By transforming public procedure into proactive proposition we curated a park for the people by the people – peer to peer design – literally implemented”, says Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner of  BIG.

The objects ranging from exercise gear, including muscle beach LA to sewage drains from Israel, palm trees from China and neon signs from Qatar and Russia are all accompanied by a small stainless plate inlaid in the ground describing each of the objects and their origin.

Nanna Gyldholm Moller, project leader from BIG, says: “When our team was invited to propose a project in this neighborhood we realized that we had to do more than just urban design. Rather than plastering the urban area with Danish designs we decided to gather the local intelligence and global experience to create a display of global urban best practice comprising the best that each of the 60 different cultures and countries have to offer when it comes to urban furniture.”

The Copenhagen-based art group Superflex took the public participation further into the extreme by handpicking five groups of people and travelling to the country of their origin to document the process of selection. “Our mission was to find the big picture in the extreme detail of a personal memory or story, which on the surface might appear insignificant, but once hunted down and enlarged became super big. A glass of palestinian soil in a living room in Norrebro serving as a memory of a lost land, enlarged to a small mountain of palestinian soil in the park. A distant Mediterranean flirt in the seventies symbolised by a great iron bull, hunted down and raised on a hill in the park.“, explains the group SUPERFLEX

Throughout the Superkilen red maple, Japanese cherry trees, larix, palm trees from China and Lebanese cedar trees are planted to offer more shade and vegetative interest, augmenting the existing trees. The diversity in tree and plant species complements the diversity of the site furniture. “While the Romantic Gardens of the 19^th Century attempted to give the visitors an exotic experience of the world that was still big and hard to travel around – allowing people to witness a Chinese pagoda or a Greek temple – the Super Park in Copenhagen does the opposite. Rather than perpetuating a perception of Denmark as a mono-ethnic people, the Super Park portrays a true sample of the cultural diversity of contemporary Copenhagen”, explains Martin-Rein Cano from Topotek1.

A bike path runs through the entire park improving the infrastructure locally in the area while integrating it into the broader, citywide context.

Photos and drawings: © Bjarke Ingels Group