STEJLEPLADSEN RESIDENTIAL AREA
Type Invited project competition, 2019
Team NORD Architects and Sweco
Role Responsible for urban space and landscape
Client By & Havn, PFA
Size 68,000 m2
Project start 2019
Status Completed
How can we develop the Stejlepladsen area into a new Copenhagen neighbourhood while preserving the unique atmosphere existing here? Our proposal derives from a philosophy of community making and a wish to maintain space for the self-grown.
Stejlepladsen has a distinct atmosphere and eclectic appearance of self-built houses and industry. The name refers to the practice of the fishermen drying their nets in the open area. The small scale fishing industry still existing in the harbour together with many self-driven communities. The land itself is a former landfill, where nature has taken over and dry grassland has evolved like the nearby protected area Tippen.
Growing community
The sense of community is very strong at Stejlepladsen, and the use and character of the area are shaped by the people living and working here. Our proposal seek to develop the existing culture and create a new type of community-based neighbourhood, where the ideas of the sharing economy and volunteer-based communities go hand in hand.
The neighbourhood structure is composed of mixed housing types, with room for small scale businesses and a variety of public common houses that each offers the framework for new initiatives. The common houses are spread out across the neighbourhood, each open to the public and each with its own facilities and functions that cater for movement around the area.
A ‘wild-growing’ take on urban nature
Close to Stejlepladsen is the highly valued dry grassland area of Tippen. Similar to Stejlepladsen this area is a former landfill, that slowly has evolved into an area of high biodiversity and great recreational value. The area and its story inspired the landscape strategy for our proposal.
Working with gravel-mixed soil and minimizing the paved areas we make room for a dynamic grassland nature to evolve. Communication with and involvement of the residents is in focus, and the area is seen as an experiment for a new urban nature that is allowed to grow wild.
