Studio van v . Qupus . Karho Yeung . Henry Lacarce

From O to X . Europan11 . Copenhagen

Studio van v . Qupus . Karho Yeung . Henry Lacarce . Europan11

The goal of the design is to strengthen the identification of the traditional area St. Kjeld Kvarter in Copenhagen by an infrastructural intervention. The "O" scheme of the central roundabout is replaced by an "X" scheme of two intersecting streets, which form the main square at the intersection.
The existing two diagonals are designed as linear car-free parks, which connect the train and subway stations located at the edges of the district while the car traffic is diverted to the orthogonal street network. This will make the central square become the main public domain in the neighborhood.
The proposed building blocks to the north and south sides of the square shape this X-shaped space in a plastic manner and in continuity with the morphology of the neighborhood. They "heal" the urban fabric by connecting to the existing buildings and by giving a clear definition to the edges of the plots.
The new building blocks create different qualities to the surrounding public spaces. At the square they are large scaled and unambiguous with public functions in the plinth, while towards the streets they are finer (more subtle) with more relief and height difference and with ground based dwellings.

Project: Design of the public domain + building blocks
Location: Copenhagen, DK
Status: Europan 11 (honorable mention)
Team: Pepijn van Voorst (Studio van v), Rutger Kuipers (Qupus architectuur), Karho Yeung, Henry Lacarce