The Building Edge as Public Space: Discussing the Contemporary Design Approach with Five Projects from Copenhagen

Abstract

New building projects have increasingly been offering publicly accessed outdoor spaces, transforming the interfaces between the building and the city into soft edges. This approach is especially evident in the latest projects in Copenhagen. This design apprehension is considered to be in relation to the increasing emphasis on public space, changing roles of private and public entities in the production and maintenance of space, the urban policies of Copenhagen as well as the inclusive approach of the designers. The study aims to evaluate this new kind of architectural design approach where the boundaries between the city and the building blur and the edge turns into a public space serving to a wider public. The study examines five projects from Copenhagen (BLOX/DAC, Maersk Tower, Axel Towers, CopenHill and Red Cross Volunteer House), based on the criteria derived from the urban policies of Copenhagen (that owes significantly to Jan Gehl) targeted towards 2025 to analyze the spatial configuration of the edges as well as the success of the public spaces introduced within the projects. The results of the analyses demonstrate different patterns of publicness in different projects as well as in different parts of the same project. Nonetheless, the projects in question can be considered as successful soft edges offering vivid urban life by blurring the boundaries between the building and the city.

Keywords

• Architecture of Copenhagen
• Jahn Gehl
• Public Space
• Soft edge
• Urban Space

Bir Kamusal Mekan Olarak Yapı Eşiği: Yeni Tasarım Yaklaşımının Kopenhag Kentinden Beş Proje Üzerinden Tartışılması

Abstract

Mimari projeler son zamanlarda giderek artan bir biçimde, binayla kent arasındaki arayüzleri yumuşak eşiklere dönüştürerek, kamusal açık alanlar sunmaya başladı. Bu yaklaşım özellikle Kopenhag kentinde yakın zamanda inşa edilen projelerde belirgin olarak görülmektedir. Bu tasarım yaklaşımının, kamusal alan üzerindeki artan vurgu, özel ve kamusal sektörlerin mekânın üretiminde ve sürdürülmesindeki değişen rolleri, Kopenhag'ın kentsel politikaları ve tasarımcıların kapsayıcı yaklaşımları ile yakından ilişkili olduğu düşünülmektedir. Bu çalışma, kentle yapı arasındaki sınırların bulanıklaştığı ve bina eşiklerinin herkese hizmet veren bir kamusal alana dönüştüğü bu yeni mimari tasarım yaklaşımını mekansal açıdan değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Çalışma, yapısal eşiklerin mekansal biçimlenişini ve projeler dahilindeki kamusal mekanların başarısını analiz etmek üzere, Kopenhag'dan beş projeyi (BLOX / DAC, Maersk Tower, Axel Towers, CopenHill ve Red Cross Volunteer House); Jan Gehl'e çok şey borçlu olan Kopenhag'ın 2025 hedefindeki kentsel politikalarından elde edilen kriterlere dayanarak incelemektedir. Analizlerin sonuçları, farklı projelerde ve aynı projenin farklı bölümlerinde farklı kamusallıkların söz konusu olduğunu göstermektedir. Bununla beraber, sözkonusu projelerin bina ve kent arasındaki sınırları muğlaklaştırarak canlı bir kentsel hayat sunan, başarılı yumuşak eşikler olduğu söylenebilir.

Keywords

• Kopenhag Mimarlığı
• Jan Gehl
• Kamusal mekan
• Yumuşak eşik
• Kentsel mekan

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