Rethinking Cities

CONFERENCE 6.—8.9.2017 TU-BERLIN DOI: 10.24904/footbridge2017.09532 RETHINKING CITIES Steen Savery TROJABORG Poul Ove JENSEN Jesper B. HENRIKSEN Architect, CEO Partner Architect, Director bridges Industrial Designer, Partner DISSING+WEITLING DISSING+WEITLING DISSING+WEITLING Copenhagen, Denmark Copenhagen, Denmark Copenhagen, Denmark [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 1. Copenhagen In 2011 the City of Copenhagen published its planning strategy for becoming the world’s best bicycle town in 2015. And this for all sort of good reasons – promoting a healthier life style cycling to work, setting the goal for Copenhagen as a CO2 neutral city by 2025, and simply – Copenhagen as a better place to live – more space, less noise, cleaner air. In 2010 with a 36% market share bicycles were the most used means of transportation to and from work in the city. The city’s strategy aims for 50% by the end of 2015. Copenhagen’s commitment to bicycles has prompted more safe bicycle routes necessitating the construction of bicycle and pedestrian bridges some of which have been designed by DISSING+WEITLING: Bryggebroen (Quay Bridge), Åbuen (The Creek Arch), Cykelslangen (The Bicycle Snake) and finally Folehaven (The Park Bridge) currently in the project stage. The City of Copenhagen has not only opted for safe bicycle routes but also for their contribution to the urban environment. Bryggebroen, Åbuen and Cykelslangen have had a huge success with up to 12 - 16.000 daily users on each bridge. But more than that they have greatly contributed to the urban environment. This so that the Bicycle Snake became one of three urban projects that won the City of Copenhagen the first prize in the European Public Space Award 2016. It is interesting to note that the contracting of each bridge differs. From the initiative of a private investor (Bryggebroen) resulting in the City putting out a tender for general contracting to project design competitions, one lead by the architect (Åbuen) and one by the engineer (Folehaven), to a consultancy tender (Cykelslangen) based upon references, CVs, project management and hourly rates, led by the architect in the design phase and the engineer in the construction phase. 2. Bryggebroen – The Quay Bridge With the building of Bryggebroen (Quay Bridge), Copenhagen acquired a new bridge over the harbor for the first time in fifty years. The bridge stretches in a light arc from Havneholmen to Islands Brygge creating a desirable short cut for pedestrians and cyclists between two of the most recently developed harbor fronts of central Copenhagen. The bridge immediately became a huge success with up to 12.000 cyclists per day creating new movement patterns uniting Southern and Northern Copenhagen. Our focus was upon the harbor scape, transparency, elegance, open views. A bridge tip-toing across the harbor. A non obstructing structure. A safe environment for bikers and pedestrians at day and night. 90 CONFERENCE 6.—8.9.2017 TU-BERLIN 3. Åbuen – The Creek Arch By way of a pedestrian and bicycle bridge across the busy through-fare Ågade a green bicycle and pedestrian path was to link Copenhagen's Nørrebro quarter to the neighboring township Frederiksberg. The link traverses Ågade in a graceful arc in both the horizontal and vertical plane, in harmony with the sinuous curves of the already planned green pathway. The arch bridge acts as a gateway to Copenhagen and also, - the arch, hangers and filigree parapet define a space, creating the sensation of being in one’s own secure world far from the noisy street. By erecting the arch in a single lift and then fixing the bridge deck to the hangers we were able to meet one of the key competition requirements, that Ågade could be closed for only 48 hours during construction. 4. Cykelslangen – The Bicycle Snake In 2010 as part of the city’s bicycle policy, a forerunner for the bicycle strategy, a series of initiatives were taken. Amongst these was a general consultant tender for a bicycle ramp to complete a path across the Copenhagen Harbor from Islands Brygge to Kalvebod Brygge of which the first stage, the Quay Bridge (Bryggebroen) was already in use. The cyclists were sadly left with a rundown staircase to take them the 5,5 m up to the Kalvebod Brygge street. DISSING+WEITLING won the tender with Rambøll as sub consulting engineers. We saw a tremendous potential for the new ramp to become something more than just a crossing. To unfold the ramp, stretch it out, curve it. Across the water, in between the buildings, and down close to the Quay Bridge (Bryggebroen). A clear pathway. Hereby not only making it more joyful to ride on, with less steep gradients and better curvature, but also making it an element that could pull together an area with a multitude of incoherent buildings. The project went from a ramp to an elevated bicycle route. It winds its way and by doing so it makes the bikers inadvertently slow down. A winding bike route. Above land and water. And it barely touches either resting on slim columns. It epitomizes the image of Copenhagen as a bicycle City. The pure joy of cycling. 5. Folehaven bicycle- and pedestrian bridge The park bridge, which is part of a foot and bicycle path, takes it outset in linking the park landscape on each side of the wide motorway leading into Copenhagen. The Fink Truss, mimicking the surrounding trees, creates a visual connection between the parks while forming a gateway into Copenhagen. The Fink Truss gives the illusion of the vertical pylons floating in midair. While being extremely transparent the bridge structure creates a sense of space for its users. 6. Post script – The good life and going viral Cykelslangen went viral at its opening. We had absolutely no idea of this to happen. After all the project competitions D+W had participated in, where iconic was a requirement, this tender with no focus on iconic qualities brought about Cykelslangen which became an overnight hit. Why? For many reasons. One of them being that Cykelslangen epitomizes Copenhagen as an easy going bicycle city. A place for adults, young people and children. Clean air. Clean water. The good life. We had taken all these qualities for granted albeit much sought for by far greater and grander cities. Fig. 1. Bryggebroen, Åbuen, Cykelslangen, Photos: D+W and Rasmus Hjortshøj Coast Studio 91.

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