D o r t e M a n d r u p A r c h i t e c t s A p S. C l i e n t, G e n t o f t e M u n i c i p a l i t y a n d D o m e a Conversion The existing water tower was built in the fifties and consists of a large scale structure with twelve concrete columns on the periphery and six on the inside. Besides carrying the water tank the columns also serve as a load bearing system for nine floors of 15 cm concrete. A complex geometric star-shaped pattern of concrete beams between the columns reinforces the floors. The existing floors where used for storage and were mostly empty whilst after-school recreation had taken place on the ground floor. w a t e r t o w e r In 2004 Dorte Mandrup Architects won a competition to convert the Jægersborg Water Tower into a mixed-use building comprising a youth centre and small apartments. On the upper floors of the tower, residential units are laid out along the perimeter of the structure leaving the centre to function as a common space and storage units. Each residential unit is formally expressed by a protruding crystal-like bay window bringing light deep into the apartment and offering unobstructed views to the surrounding landscape. Together, the bay window and balconies add new sculptural layers that underscore the distinctive character of the tower. On the lower floors, the youth centre is divided into large multi-purpose rooms for free movement and adaptability. Large patterned windows surround the youth centre with the doors on the ground floor creating an open-ended adaptable concept. Architectural analysis The Jægersborg water tower is a characteristic architectonic element: 12 columns and a huge round water tank. Between the columns a floor plan appears. The red water tank with the cone shaped roof, and weathercock on top give it a strong identity and a striking architectonic form. During the whole conversion, the office of Dorte Mandrup insisted in keeping the tower as a landmark. The large scale of the columns and tank together with the smaller scale window frames, articulated the new function of the building. The repetition of the window frames and the crystal structure accomplish a relation between the large scale of the water tank and columns on the one hand and the more human scale of the new additions on the other hand. The main idea of Dorte Mandrup was to express continuity through preserving the original structure with the water tank on top along with the character of the twelve peripheral columns. 1 Facade, photo Torben Eskerod 2 Bay window and balcony photo Torben Eskerod 1 2
On the other hand the addition of a new structure with a smaller scale related to the human body was also an important aim. The different materials for the different functions have been chosen in such a way so that they create harmony between the three different functions of the tower. 3 Organisation of the building A leisure centre is situated on the first three floors. The internal organisation of the centre provides different uses. Every floor can be used separately. The ground floor has a flexible space and can be used for different physical activities such as indoor ball games or disco. Windows from floor to ceiling provide a lot of daylight inside the ground floor. Large doors give access to the space outside. The second floor is used as mini club and on the third floor administration takes place. From the 4th floor until the 8th floor the 36 youth apartments are situated. An elevator gives access to the dwellings. Beside the elevator the original stairs are in use in case of emergency. The water tank on top of the dwellings is still in use. 5 3 Floor plan, second floor 4 Floor plan, 7th floor 4 5 Basic formation principle of the apartment 6 Volume concept diagram 7 7 Close up bay window, photo Torben Eskerod 7
8 9 8 Apartment type A 9 Apartment type B 10 Interior with sanitary block and bed on top, photo Jens Lindhe 11 Interior with window bay photo Jens Lindhe The dwellings The conversion of the tower is made possible mainly due to the heavy structure, the height of the ceiling and the free plan. But on the other hand the complex geometry of the structure demanded clever solutions. The dwellings of respectively 32 m2 and 36 m2 are distributed over five storeys. On the 4th, the 6th and the 8th floor, common spaces with a balcony are placed. Two dwellings for the disabled are situated on the 4th and the 5th floor and on the 8th floor a common laundry is placed. These different spaces all together solve the problem of the geometry. A central space showing the original concrete structure, gives access to the dwellings. A crystal shaped bay window provides extra space in the small dwellings, supplies maximum daylight and a splendid view of the surroundings namely Copenhagen, North Sjaelland and even the coast of South Sweden. The triangle or square shaped bay window's extend the existing areas in to furnishable spaces. The three balconies are orientated so that one has morning sun, one has midday sun and one has sun in afternoon. Space and experience The generous height of the ceiling is used to create various spaces in the dwellings. The small floor area again asked for a clever solution. To create as much free space as possible, all utility functions are concentrated in one large service box-like unit. The bath, kitchen, wardrobe, and a small workspace are all placed in this box shaped element. To create even more space, a solution for a place to sleep is found in the vertical axis by situating the bed on top of the big box. The place of the box together with the bay window, defines the shape of the space. In spite of the small floor area, the office of Dorte Mandrup succeeded in making interesting spaces for the young inhabitants. A whole array of different spatial experiences takes place, from a more open one close to the window, via the more enclosed space inside the dwelling to the most intimate space on top of the box. 10 11
Acoustics One of the biggest problems of the site is the high sound level. Due to the motorway the DB level on the outside of the façade is 76 db (A). A 2.5 meter high fence placed along the highway provides a good view but does not cut enough sound, so they decided to develop a special façade for this project. A laminated layered window system cuts off 30 db. This system at the same time provides ventilation for the dwellings. Internal sound insulation is created by adding a cork layer with linoleum finishing on top of the 15 cm concrete floor. In the hall and staircases sound absorbing material is placed to avoid any resonance. Materiality The materiality of the leisure centre as well as of the dwellings is inspired by the idea of expressing the original rough construction. At the same time the materiality of the project should show the addition of new functions. The closed parts of the leisure centre are covered with a kind of compressed Rockwool cladding. The texture of the Rockwool fits well with the texture of the concrete columns. The Crystal shaped bay windows of the youth apartments are aluminium cladding. This cladding reflects by day and night the light of the environment. So the shining small crystals contrast with the huge red coloured water tank on top of the building and so expressing living with oceans of water above you. The Jægersborg Water tower project is a good example of the use of left over spaces in industrial buildings as a strategy for Time-based architecture. The mixed programs or so called hybrid buildings makes this possible. The addition of the dwellings does not only add space but also time to the old building. The new functions give the tower an extended existence. 12 Fragment of the facade, photo Torben Eskerod Bernard Leupen 12 13 Water tower in Spring, photo Jens Lindhe 13
F O R T H 4, C h r i s t i a n F. W. D a l s d o r f a n d M a j a A s a a C l i e n t, R e a l e a A / S [ E x p e r i m e n t a l h o u s i n g p r o j e c t o n a n o p e n s p a c e i n N ø r r e b r o ] The Boase project is the result of the design competition The Future Home, a competition focusing on sustainability and accessibility. Students from the Aarhus School of Architecture, Denmark's Design school, Design school Kolding, and the Royal academy of fine arts, School of Architecture where invited to take part in the competition. Six multidisciplinary workgroups did an entry. In 2005 a 1:1 mock up of one house was built on the site of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture in Copenhagen. The BOASE housing project takes as its starting point the present-day environmental problem of our towns and cities including a large number of sites, which, despite their attractive location, are unusable owing to, environmental and soil contamination. The aim is to make these contaminated sites accessible and habitable by planting trees, which decontaminate the soil with their rootstock. Among the trees homes will be built on tall, slender columns or stilts. The homes will be constructed in a lightweight design featuring transparent facades, and the soil will get lots of light, thereby promoting the growth of the trees and plants. It will be like living in a forest in the middle of town an urban oasis. The housing units in BOASE are bunched into smallish clusters, interlinked by a network of catwalks. The catwalks all terminate in a shared terrace and between clusters there are collective rooms and shared facilities. BOASE will make it possible to rent a smallish unit with the option of extending the private living area with part of a communal room. The idea is that the type of accommodation can be instrumental in creating a social affiliation and open the way for communal interaction that cuts across conventional patterns. This style of living appeals particularly to young people and mobile individuals who need accommodation for a relatively short period of their lives. 1 Mock up at the school of architecture
2 3 100 percent recycling BOASE was sketched and designed by the Force4 drawing office, collaboration between two architects and two designers. Force4 expects it to take ten years to decontaminate the soil. After that, the area can be used for other purposes and the accommodation can remain on site or be relocated to another area, where it can be used to the benefit of a similar process. All materials in the buildings can be re-used. By transforming contaminated urban areas the settlement takes back inaccessible land. For people living a life of different approaches to work, place and privacy, an offer to a certain life-situation that can become valid for all sorts of people. A process that commits the inhabitant starts; the profit of their community makes the place grow. Contaminated urban areas are made useful again by cleansing the polluted soil with trees. Plants with powerful roots can fixate or eliminate pollution in the soil. 14.000 estates in Denmark are polluted from oil or chemicals of which 148 are in Copenhagen alone. They are all a danger to environment and health. Settlement is a process where the results of research on sustainability are tested. In time the settlement will grow and spread over the ground like the branches of a tree. Its growth is not planned because it is a result of various conditions; the cleaning of the soil, the growth of the plants and the surrounding buildings. The forest consists of species from the original Danish forest: Oak and alder are planted in groups as the permanent elements of the forest. They grow slowly and give the place character. Willow and poplar cleans the soil and cover the surface. Willow and poplar grow quick, therefore every 4.th year they are cut down, so their roots constantly are kept active and cleaning. The place is an oasis in the city. In the urban context the forest becomes a structuring element that provides identity to its surroundings and serves as a navigation point. In the forest the hectic life of the city is put in perspective. The changing of the seasons transforms the place, the dwelling and the people. The trees tell a story of another rhythm - a slower rhythm. The urban forest re-establishes the respectful relation between man and nature. 4 5 2 Dwelling section 3 Floor plan of three dwellings and common space 4 Site plan of the BOASE project 5 Mock up at the school of architecture seen from the common space
Nomad dwelling The private unit as a frame In modern society people of all ages are more likely to live as The private unit is a prefabricated industrially nomads. Life is lived as a series of events and phases. You work, optimized product. Thought as a piece of furni- you marry, you travel, you live alone, you study, you remarry. ture and shaped to accommodate the human Movement and mobility are fundamental parts of life that lead to body. Form-moulded plant-fibre plates cover the more temporary relations to people and places. Intimacy and inner walls of the frame. The staircase binds the sensuality are important elements in a world where speed and space together in a vertical movement. The distance are facts of life. dwelling is produced in a factory and transported BOASE offers an alternative way of living. The spatial principles to the building site as a unit. This way the build on the duality of the static and the flexible. The private traditional waste of resources is prevented and dwelling is the static frame of the settlement. Several frames are the dwelling can be easily dismantled and reused composed to clusters and surround a communal area for each or composted. level. The communal area is the social heart of the settlement The kitchen is the energy-field of the frame. Here Here social relations are strengthened, even though most inhabit- you open up to the communal area and meet ants live alone. These way new communities can grow on the with others. A heated, soft floor invites the 6 7 basis of a strong feeling of membership and sustainable commitment. The realisation of BOASE contains four development-projects: 1.cleaning of the contaminated site (see illustration) 2.developing of solar-membrane 3.developing of energy-accumulating façade 4.industrial optimization of the private dwelling The outer façade is an energy-accumulating glass- facade with integrated semitransparent solar cells and temperature-regulating PCM-plates. The inner façade functions as both silencer and inhabitant to sit down. The bedroom is the frames intimate space. It is small and cosy and light floats in along an oblique wall opening. The bathroom is hidden behind curved translucent walls. The frame is furniture for living. Here you unfold your personal belongings for a period of your life. The frame contains all necessary home functions to secure the inhabitants the option of privacy. closet. It is a highly sound absorbing and the closet is accessible also from the communal area. The private part of the dwelling Bernard Leupen (ed) has two facades. Both the inner- and outer facade of the private dwelling can be individually composed with shutters. This gives a great degree of spatial differences concerning light and view. To the one side you watch the trees and green surroundings. To the other you can open the dwelling and enlarge the private zone into the communal area. 6 Interior of the empty mock up, second floor 7 Interior of the empty mock-up, ground floor 8 Mock up at the school of architecture, window detail 8