The Danish Landscape Award 2023 has been awarded to the H.C. Andersen Garden, designed by MASU Planning. The award focuses on honoring landscape architectural works with character, serving as “inspiration” for the industry. Situated in Odense in Denmark, this year’s winner was praised for reviving urban renewal in the city center by creating an escape that blends with the existing context.
The design creates a narrative between the new garden and the existing H.C., Andersen house, developed by world-renowned architects Kengo Kuma & Associates. Planned as a new building for the HC Andersen museum, the cultural center is located between the residential and newly developed urban areas in Odense. Initially developed by Kengo Kuma & Associates, the house aims to reflect the author’s life and journey. The newly designed and awarded garden was highly celebrated for its ability to seamlessly blend with the home, creating a flow between the projects and functioning as an independent landscape project.
The H.C., Andersen Garden aims to create user adventures by merging nature and landscape. Inviting passersby to explore, five entrances welcome outsiders while encouraging them to escape the urban hustle. “With its playful character,” the garden is designed to attract children and adults, immersing the user in sensory impressions. Functioning both independently and supportively with the H.C. Andersen House, the landscape project completes the journey of the home, celebrating the life of the late Danish author.
The project was presented alongside three other finalists: Bispebjerg's Helende Gardens by Erik Brandt Dam architects and Charlotte Skibsted Landskab; Karen's Minde Aksen by Schønherr; The Social Spine by SLA. Ultimately awarded to MASU Planning, this year marked a record number of nominations for the Danish Landscape Prize.
H.C. Andersen’s Garden is a spectacular facility in the centre of Odense, where landscape, buildings, and city blocks are beautifully and poetically connected with circular strokes, organic structures, and garden architecture. Together, they create a transformation of a complex urban space, providing new qualities for the area. –Masu Planning
Landscape design crafts environments that aim to harmonize the human experience with nature, offering escapes and better quality in city centers. Last month, BIG unveiled “Gelephu,” an envisioned master plan that draws from Bhutanese culture. The plan is filled with green spaces, adhering to the sustainable standards of the world’s first official carbon-negative country, Bhutan. Additionally, Archi-Tectonics NYX has completed the masterplan transformation for the Hangzhou Asian Games Park 2022. Spanning 116 Acres, the project includes an expansive Eco-Park and seven buildings, charting a new path for the city’s environmental future. Finally, Ghisellini Architects has recently unveiled the redevelopment and complete redesign for the new Piazza Francesca Cabrini in Italy. The new public space will serve as a place of gathering, with landscape features embedded into it.
