by Flemming Anders Overgaard (keingart Architects, Copenhagen)
She puts her foot on the knot that is tied to the post, gets ready and climbs off into the maze of blue posts with knots. Her backpack is on the rubber hill, she was actually on her way home from work. A man does chin-ups on the bars and a childminder has a go on a swing. Guldbergs Plads is both a hilly park and an outdoor gym in the middle of the city. 200 light blue posts are scattered between larch trees in an urban forest that is an invitation for active expression to the people of the local area. The colour of the conifers changes with the seasons; they are bright green in spring and yellow in the autumn. Children run different routes along gravel paths between the hills and students from Stevnsgade School are in full swing on the softball field. She wipes the sweat from her brow, picks up her backpack and heads home through the park.
Activity Space for sedentary adults
Nørrebro is one of ten districts of the Danish capital Copenhagen. It is located northwest of Copenhagen's lakes, and consists of the two districts Indre Nørrebro (Inner Nørrebro) and Ydre Nørrebro (Outer Nørrebro). Nørrebro is known for a high percentage of students, immigrants and its multicultural character. Guldbergs Plads, on the other side of Guldbergsgade and a little further north is home for a landscaped playground with installations aimed at promoting physical activity. The most distinctive feature is a "pole forest" situated on a small hill.
10 grass hills, 75 larch trees and 200 blue poles form the new Guldbergs Plads, a neighborhood park in central Nørrebro, Copenhagen, where people of all ages can meet, be active, exercise and relax. The three different elements create coherence in the renovated park and unite the existing functions that are kept with the new programs that are characteristic for the square’s new identity as an activity park. It should be a meeting place focusing on exercise in the public city space. The square consists of existing features that have been retained and some new programs that have been added, in order to give the square a new identity as an activity park; a venue where movement in urban space is in focus. The hills of different sizes form a playful landscape; you can run unruly over the hills with someone chasing you, jump around or read a book lying in the sun. Larger areas of high meadow grass waves over the cut grass hills and create a visually aesthetic layer. Scattered on the hills are larch trees and metal poles in shades of blue, the tree stems and poles intertwine and form a new urban forest. The character of the larch trees emphasizes the square's changing expression over the year; the colour change of the tree crowns from bright light green in spring, to yellow in the fall, to the flickering silhouettes in the winter months, offer everybody an experience of nature in the middle of Nørrebro. The 200 blue poles provide the framework for the park's new activities. The different activity spots and tools are a result of a citizen involvement process with focus on attracting adults that are unfamiliar with physical exercise'. A valley for swings, a 3d climbing maze on a high rubber hill, a collection of booms in different heights, a grove of gymnastic rings and a selection of different routes around the park. Additionally, the many 'extra´ poles in the park can be activated by users, either spontaneous or organized; you can bring your own hammock, put fairy lights up for the street party, or a clothes line for the flea market.
client | Municipality of Copenhagen
location | Nørrebro, Copenhagen
team | architect Keinicke & Overgaard Architects, Keingart_Space_Activators
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