WE architecture + Erik Juul's Urban Garden and Housing to Provide Turning Point for Copenhagen's Homeless

WE Architecture + Erik Juul have been awarded a commission to transform a vacant lot at Jagtvej 69 in Copenhagen into a urban garden and housing structure that could provided temporary accommodation for homeless people, helping them to turn their lives around.

The architects describe the project as a place “where housing and green gardens [create] a platform for the meeting between locals and homeless, and a path for a new beginning.”

WE architecture + Erik Juul's Urban Garden and Housing to Provide Turning Point for Copenhagen's Homeless - GardenWE architecture + Erik Juul's Urban Garden and Housing to Provide Turning Point for Copenhagen's Homeless - Image 4 of 12WE architecture + Erik Juul's Urban Garden and Housing to Provide Turning Point for Copenhagen's Homeless - Image 5 of 12WE architecture + Erik Juul's Urban Garden and Housing to Provide Turning Point for Copenhagen's Homeless - Image 12 of 12WE architecture + Erik Juul's Urban Garden and Housing to Provide Turning Point for Copenhagen's Homeless - More Images+ 7

To facilitate this interaction between the community and its homeless members, the design takes the form of an armature housing a series of modular containers, each designated for its own specific activities. In addition to bedrooms, the containers would provide a wide range of activities such as kitchens, dining spaces, offices, living rooms, and even a yoga studio.

WE architecture + Erik Juul's Urban Garden and Housing to Provide Turning Point for Copenhagen's Homeless - Garden
Courtesy of WE Architecture
WE architecture + Erik Juul's Urban Garden and Housing to Provide Turning Point for Copenhagen's Homeless - Image 3 of 12
Courtesy of WE Architecture

The architects believe surrounding the temporary community members with these activities will help to them to improve their professional and social standing by improving communication with authorities and allowing them to take care of their physical and mental health. With the addition of community gardens and semi-public event spaces, the proposal provides the neighborhood with a new social meeting place that everyone can use.

WE architecture + Erik Juul's Urban Garden and Housing to Provide Turning Point for Copenhagen's Homeless - Image 9 of 12
Courtesy of WE Architecture
WE architecture + Erik Juul's Urban Garden and Housing to Provide Turning Point for Copenhagen's Homeless - Image 4 of 12
Courtesy of WE Architecture

Based on a simple scaffolding system, the concept is for the structure to be flexible, with the ability to add new features and change according to new needs. In the future, the project could be completed dismantled, and moved to a new site that needs help.

"The project will have a positive visual contribution to the neighborhood – a landmark people can relate to with social and environmental sustainable initiatives," explain the architects. "The visibility aims to raise awareness of the initiative, in terms of attracting new users to the neighborhood, but also volunteers and current residents."

News via WE Architecture.

  • Architects

    WE Architecture
  • Location

    Jagtvej 69, 2200 København N, Denmark
  • Collaborators

    Vendepunktet, UBA studio, Erik Juul
  • Design Team

    Marc Jay, Julie Schmidt-Nielsen, Barbara Drud Henningsen, Alicja Szczęśniak, Josefine Rita Vain Hansen, Thea Gasseholm, Corrado Galasso, Eleonora Giovannardi, Alexandru Pavel
  • Type

    Temporary Homeless Housing and Urban Gardens
  • Area

    2000.0 m2
  • Project Year

    2017
  • Photographs

    Courtesy of WE Architecture
  • Architects

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Project location

Address:Jagtvej 69, 2200 København N, Denmark

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: Patrick Lynch. "WE architecture + Erik Juul's Urban Garden and Housing to Provide Turning Point for Copenhagen's Homeless" 16 Mar 2017. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/867338/we-architecture-plus-erik-juuls-urban-garden-and-housing-to-provide-turning-point-for-copenhagens-homeless> ISSN 0719-8884

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