Hej or hey in English. It is day five in Copenhagen, and the sun is finally out. Today we had the opportunity of touring and hearing a presentation from Gehl Architects. This was a very rewarding presentation, which focused on the beginning of the company, projects the company has worked on, Copenhagen’s evolution into a bicycling city, and a walking tour. The presentation was given by Karolina, a native from Vienna that has spent time in Latin America and Southern China. She shared how Gehl architects focuses on researching the space between buildings. This space makes up 20-30% of a city, with 80% of that used up by streets. But that 20-30% of space is what we use and interact with the most. This is also an area where the public is interacting with each other on a daily basis from driving vehicles to walking on the street. Gehl examines an area in the following hierarchy; life, space, then buildings. Studying human behavior, Gehl will learn on how the area is being used and look for patterns. The presentation consisted of examples of cities worldwide looking at New York City, Brighton Beach, and Moscow. The presentation wrapped up and we were then led around the office.
We then headed outside where we started a walking tour, going over projects that Gehl has worked on. This was really nice to see the physical spaces that they created. The first stop was a staffed playground in an old shooting range, which when we arrived was packed with kids. This was an example of how a space can be transformed to create a sense of community. We then toured a park that was created in middle of the road. It used to be a 4-lane road, but after studying the area, two lanes were removed, creating less road noise for residents and making it safer for the young children in the area. The last place we visited was a square that had originally been a parking lot and soccer stadium, it was then transformed into an underground parking area with a modernist playground with a fountain. The guide mentioned how even though the grass is gone, the children from the neighboring school seem to have even more fun than when it was a plain field.
These photos seemed worth sharing. Enjoy.
-Chip
