Lost in space

The VM housing and Moutain dwellings are part of a for Denmark unprecedented plan of expansion, Ørestad South. Meadows are to be converted in a commercial and residential area with the size of an average provincial town. 

Le Corbusier - Ville Radieus

Lessons have clearly been learned from past modernist ideas about designing new cities. Functions (living, work and leisure) are mixed and not separated. And most notably the apartment buildings have distinct characters, no assumption that a single design will fit all.  

When I walked around the area without any knowledge of the design concepts, however, it reminded me of the Bijlmer. The large green areas between the high rises felt pleasant on the sunny day I was there. But with the Bijlmer in mind I wondered if they really will develop into commonly owned areas for all to use. 

Walking back towards the metro it seemed I walked into an image from Le Corbusier. The metro (which is completely computer–driven) is high up and main access roads are right next to it, all set in plenty of space. Lacking any trees to demarcate the pedestrian areas I felt lost in space. 

 For me it illustrated the difficulty of creating a public space from scratch and reminded me of a hilarious rant on public space failure in the United States by James H. Kunstler. 

James H Kunstler dissects suburbia | Video on TED.com

It does make you wonder how we can create cities and public spaces worth caring for through architecture? What can we learn from the past and what can we learn from other parts of the world in the present? After all, the largest cities today and in the future are not in Europe nor the United States, but in Asia, South America and Africa.

Defining balconies?

Next to the Mountain dwellings is an earlier building of Bjarke Ingles, VM housing. Although I also knew this building from photographs, I did not realize I was right next to it. The quintessential picture of this building is from the balcony side and I came from the other side.

According to a podcast from the Danish Architecture Center the balconies do remind some of the (in)famous Titanic movie scene. The outward orientation of the balconies contrasts with the more standard sideways orientation of balconies and is intended to increase contact between the people living in the apartments. 

 

Also contrasting with standard apartment buildings are the 100 different types of apartments to cater to a mix of people and livestyles. The modernist idea that there is one ultimate architectural solution suited for all people whatever their background or family situation has been abandoned. Other features that seem to aim at fostering a sense of community are a big fireplace and play areas next  to the building. The architecture signals that lessons have been learned from the modernist anonymous apartment blocks build in the sixties and seventies.

  

The shape of VM balconies prevent separations between neighbors which you find in standard apartment buildings. However, standing under the balconies made me curious about the psychological effect of the spatial organization of the balconies. There is a reason why we say we look up to someone we respect -  our biological wiring makes us associate being physically on top with social dominance. 

It made me wonder if people on the lower balconies feel the others look down on them in a psychological sense as well. Would be interesting to research if the balconies not only define the picture of the building in architecture magazines, but also the social interactions among its inhabitants.

Architect: BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group)  |  Completion: 2005  |  Location: Copenhagen.