Bjarke Ingels - Hedonistic Sustainability

Danish Architect Bjarke Ingels

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Bjarke Ingels on TED

Copenhagen Does a LOT of Things REALLY Well

 

September 2014: It's been two years but I'm back in Copenhagen to catch up and visit with my Danish family.

Cool yet sunny weather on a relaxing Sunday. Lisbeth and Emma (mother, daughter) take me to a place that recently opened called Papirøen. The Danish Architecture Centre describes it:

Papirøen ("Paper Island")

Right opposite the Royal Danish Playhouse is Christiansholm, better known as Papirøen (“Paper Island”). You can probably remember the distinctive grey buildings with their red gates, which mysteriously faced the harbour. For several decades this was where the Procurement Association of the Danish Press stored their paper: hence the name, Papirøen. But when the Procurement Association of the Danish Press terminated their contract at the end of 2012, five years ahead of time, this paved the way for all sorts of new opportunities and exciting experiments on this central, and much sought-after site.

Until the end of 2012 Papirøen was one of the harbour's last industrial areas with no public access. But now that the paper store has departed, at last we can take a peek behind the red doors. Papirøen is now in a process of transformation from a closed-off industrial area to an open, vibrant urban area: a location for exhibitions, creative businesses, cafés and restaurants, but all on a temporary basis.

Public space experiments in 1:1  

The temporary initiatives will investigate the Island's potential and provide ideas for permanent projects for the area's future. "We imagine that after 2017 Papirøen will house a mixture of housing, commerce and public service institutions. Now, in the course of the next four years, we have the chance to see what will works and what might not work. Papirøen will be a 1:1 urban laboratory," says Jens Kramer Mikkelsen, CEO of CPH City and Port Development, in an interview with Politiken.

New residents inject life into Papirøen 

Most of Papirøens new residents have already set up shop and started to breathe life into the old industrial buildings. All the newcomers are creative, innovative companies, who will be the first to generate urban life on Papirøen. "It's a great opportunity to try out something new. The exciting thing about old, industrial buildings is how to preserve their soul, while using them for something else, when they are no longer used for their original purpose," says the property developer, Klaus Kastbjerg, to byoghavn.dk. 

OK so I'm thinking, "this is an awesome place... exactly the kind of place I want to spend my sunny Sunday afternoon drinking lattes and smoothies and catching up with Lisbeth and Emma." I wouldn't have been able to imagine a more perfect scenario in my head, so thank you Copenhagen, for creating one for me. This gorgeous day by the water was completed with good food, tasty drinks, fires, chairs and blankets and finally of course people; the perfect definition of Danish Hygge. It doesn't get much better than this.

But what I find even more interesting is stated above: Papirøen is an "urban laboratory." If you didn't read the above part, you should, and then just ponder how smart that is... all while creating a fun and enjoyable space for people to get hygge on a late summer/early fall perfect-weather-Sunday. 

Various food and drink stands/trucks - old paper storage facility

An area for children - fun for people of all ages

Indoor seating for questionable weather

Date?

Relaxed people

A lot of relaxed people

Lisbeth and Emma (in the back)

Hygge.

It seems like when Copenhagen wants to do something, they aim to do it with quality in mind. Hence the urban laboratory experiment. This is what I'm talking about...these Danish people are pretty smart, eh?

More on Danish Hygge from NPR
 
Source: Danish Architecture Centre

"Cities of the Future should be Designed with Well Being in Mind"

An article from December 2012 in the Guardian states "perhaps the key challenge of the 21st century is to improve our well being - to ensure we are happy as well as healthy. After all, what is the point of living a long life if we do not enjoy it?" I believe she is right.

Currently, a majority of the world's population lives in urban areas. This percentage is expected to grow, as economic incentives pull people into urban areas. Cities must figure out how to accommodate a growing population without sacrificing fundamentals to a healthy and happy life. I also want to argue that one of the most important factors in growing urban areas is being able to maintain a place's unique sense of identity, allowing the creation or build-upon a community feel.

New models for the future are starting to develop. Well-designed urban villages, homes, and spaces that create and help build a sense of community incorporate some of the following features:

• pedestrian-oriented
• "high quality environments" - inclusion of shops, restaurants and other local facilities
• homes with space for family members to eat and relax together
• natural light
• green views
• "right" proximity to neighbors
• safe streets
• neighborhoods with destinations
• unique places with their own identities

We should focus on making better use of our existing spaces. We do not need to take advantage of the fact that space is not a limiting factor in the United States. The issue seems to be with the quality and character of the space, not the amount. 

"Imagine a world where homes, streets and neighbourhoods make you feel good about yourself, help you reach your potential, keep you healthy and safe, and support you in making good relationships. This is my vision for the housing of the future - the pursuit of well being and creation of spaces that help us to flourish." This quote from the author of the Guardian article, Elizabeth Burton, who is a professor of sustainable building design and well being at the University of Warwick, captures it all.

I like to imagine places that simply make you feel good. My intention with this blog is to explore what some of those contributing factors might be.

Source:
The Guardian

Check out the 2014 United Nations World Urbanization Prospects:
http://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/Highlights/WUP2014-Highlights.pdf