COPENHAGEN CITY OF ARCHITECTURE COPENHAGEN CITY OF ARCHITECTURE THE ARCHITECTURE POLICY OF THE CITY OF COPENHAGEN COPENHAGEN CITY OF ARCHITECTURE THE ARCHITECTURE POLICY OF THE CITY OF COPENHAGEN CONTENTS 3 INTRO 04 Preface 08 Introduction 01 CHARACTER FOCUS AREAS/ INITIATIVES/ WE WANT TO STRENGTHEN THE 14 Urban transformation 24 Development and preservation CHARACTER OF COPENHAGEN BY 18 Cultural heritage through local planning MEANS OF BOTH PRESERVATION City on a human scale 26 Collection of examples of cultural AND DEVELOPMENT The city’s skyline environments 20 City on the waterfront Urban renewal City lights Integrated urban renewal 28 Design policy Lighting 30 HERE AND NOW 02 ARCHITECTURE FOCUS AREAS/ INITIATIVES/ WE WANT TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE 34 The city on every scale 44 Local planning and the processing ARCHITECTURE THAT ADDS NEW Buildings and places of building applications QUALITIES TO THE CITY’S CONNECTIVITY 38 Urban density Flexible architectural solutions AND ENVIRONMENTS Urban openness and flexibility 46 Architectural quality in housing Urban diversity 48 High-rise buildings 40 Environmental solutions Evaluations Urban connectivity 52 HERE AND NOW 03 URBAN SPACES FOCUS AREAS/ INITIATIVES/ WE WANT TO CREATE URBAN SPACES 56 Urban life 62 Urban space planning AND URBAN LANDSCAPES OF A HIGH Urban spaces Urban life scoreboard ARCHITECTURAL QUALITY TO ENCOUR- 58 Urban landscapes 64 Lighting strategy AGE DIVERSITY IN URBAN LIFE Urban water areas New parks Urban development areas Pocket parks and green links 66 HERE AND NOW 04 PROCESSES FOCUS AREAS/ INITIATIVES/ WE WANT TO DEVELOP AND 70 Urban sustainability 76 Sustainability in construction FACILITATE PROCESSES THAT Architectural challenges and urban development ENSURE ARCHITECTURAL QUALITY 72 Urban architectural competitions Programming AND SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS Architectural advisors 78 Competitions Architectural debates The talent base Networks and cooperation 80 Architecture awards Theme booklets on architecture policy Copenhagen X Networks and cooperation 82 HERE AND NOW APPENDIX 85 Policies, strategies and guidelines 86 Photos & illustrations 4 PREFACE/ Today, Copenhagen is a beautiful and And naturally, as the City of Copenhagen Klaus Bondam well-preserved city. Like other capitals now sets out to renew its architecture Mayor, Technical and Environmental it has its own unique appearance based policy, the vision of putting human and Administration 2006-9 on history and the character of the loca- environmental concerns first is para- Bo Asmus Kjeldgaard tion. The city is rich in architectural and mount. Thus, the architecture policy Mayor, Technical and Environmental landscape highlights that are rightly should help specify and expand on Administration 2010- praised by many – also around the some of the visions that were pre- world. But the city surely also has areas sented in A Metropolis for People and where the architectural qualities are not Eco-Metropolis. exactly striking. And the city is in need of ongoing renewal – among other rea- Over the past 10-15 years, Copenhagen sons in order to live up to crucial future has developed completely new neigh- climate requirements. bourhoods. We are currently transform- ing many former industrial sites, such Buildings, urban spaces, and urban as harbour, railway and stock areas and landscape elements should be devel- production facilities, to new neighbour- oped sustainably and with an insistent hoods. These areas have taught us focus on creating a setting for an urban the key importance of taking a broad culture characterised by diversity, activ- approach to architecture and planning. ity, motion and experiences – a meeting place for people. 5 Building architects, urban planners, We are already well into a century that landscape architects or urban life ex- poses completely different challenges perts cannot take on the task on their than the ones we have faced in the own. We need all their perspectives to past. That places new demands on create an economically, environmen- architecture and on our overall approach tally and socially sustainable city. This to the development, renewal and pres- is true, whether we are working on ervation of Copenhagen. entirely new neighbourhoods, major conversions or minor adaptations All these factors set the stage for a and renewals in the existing city. new architecture policy that converts the trends to direction and new goals Despite the bleak economic outlook, for our work with the city’s architecture. we expect continued extensive con- The main objective of the architecture struction activity in Copenhagen in policy is to facilitate the dialogue with coming years. Workplaces relocate to building clients, architects, planners Copenhagen, and a growing number of and landscape architects about plans people wish to live in the city. We need and projects, but in addition, it should new homes, day care facilities, schools, offer anyone interested in the urban sports facilities, parks and green areas, architecture and spaces an insight into and private companies, sports and cul- the key goals and focus areas of the ture activities are placing new demands City of Copenhagen. on the physical environment. We also continue to have a great need for urban and neighbourhood renewal. 6 In the foreground, typical Copen- hagen allotment gardens; in the background, along the harbour front, the characteristic low, red buildings of Bådklubben Valby (Valby Boating Association), now supplemented by the modern waterfront housing blocks on Sluseholmen. 8 INTRODUCTION/ In the Centre for Urban Design, the The architecture policy for the City of Jan Christiansen Technical and Environmental Adminis- Copenhagen has four main sections, City architect tration, we have worked to develop a reflecting our four main goals: new architecture policy for the City of Copenhagen. 01 CHARACTER We want to strengthen the character of The City was also involved in shaping Copenhagen by means of both preser- ’A Nation of Architecture – Denmark’, vation and development. a national architecture policy devel- oped in 2007 by the Danish Ministry 02 ARCHITECTURE of Culture for the Danish government. We want to promote sustainable archi- Here, the City of Copenhagen is handed tecture that adds new qualities to the a major responsibility for implementing city’s connectivity and environments. the national architecture policy, both in its role as public building client and as a 03 URBAN SPACES planning authority. We want to create urban spaces and landscapes of a high architectural ’A Nation of Architecture – Denmark’ quality that encourage diversity in encourages municipalities to take the urban life. lead and establish criteria for architec- tural quality and to devise their own 04 PROCESSES architecture policies describing the We want to develop and facilitate proc- city’s visions, goals and requirements. esses that ensure architectural quality and sustainable solutions. 9 All four goals involve themes and objec- Today, the challenge is to preserve and tives that we should pursue to become develop Copenhagen’s architecture in a world-class city of architecture. We a complex society with a very advanced will not only focus on individual build- democracy. ings but consider the city as a whole and strive to ensure that quality hous- Along with the publications listed ing and urban spaces remain a charac- in the appendix, Copenhagen City of teristic of Copenhagen. Architecture offers guidelines for urban development and the processing of The four sections describe the efforts building applications. The debate about needed to accomplish the goals: the architectural quality must take place on methods, processes and types of every level, from strategic planning over cooperation required in the democratic building and landscape art to design. context that a municipal administra- tion is embedded in. Some of these The architecture policy is aimed at plan- efforts are already a part of our daily ners and stakeholders in the construc- practice, but we have decided to add tion industry and at the citizens of new initiatives to be launched here and Copenhagen. Without a broad aim and now in order to reach our goals. Thus, citizen involvement in the process of here and now, we will launch initiatives city building, we will fail to achieve the to explore and develop the character of sublime. Copenhagen, sustainable architecture and urban spaces and landscapes in the urban development areas. 10 The Copenhagen skyline in 1750 – here viewed from Vesterbro. 11 The Copenhagen skyline in 2009 – here viewed from Kløvermarken – is a key element in understanding the character of Copenhagen. 01 CHARACTER WE WANT TO STRENGTHEN THE CHARACTER OF COPENHAGEN THROUGH BOTH PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT Copenhagen has a strong character. The city’s profile By continually expanding our building culture with with the green spires and turrets, the tile roofs and new architecture that interprets and renews the city’s the proportions and diversity of the urban spaces has character in a modern idiom we keep our cultural a Nordic and uniquely Copenhagen feel. The visible heritage alive. The city and its buildings should form historical layers, the green structure and the jagged a contemporary setting for modern Copenhageners’ coast line are key features. And the city’s relation- lives. New urban development areas, urban spaces, ship with the water combined with the scale of the parks, buildings and conversions should contribute to urban spaces produces a unique atmosphere.