When we google 'housing in Copenhagen', the first thing that pops up are the most common questions asked by users: how much does it cost to live in Copenhagen? Is it difficult to find housing in Copenhagen? It's true, living here is significantly more expensive than the European average, especially in its most central district: Indre By. Although the housing prices are adapted to the salaries of its citizens –and the quality of life index is consistent with this high cost–, it's still complex for a foreigner to settle permanently in the city.
However, there is a serious commitment from the authorities and stakeholders to kindly open the city to new inhabitants, offering affordable housing designed by its best architects –both in suburbs and in refurbished downtown areas. In 2023, Copenhagen will be the UNESCO-UIA World Capital of Architecture and the host of the UIA World Congress of Architects, so a large number of people will be able to see firsthand what it's like to inhabit the city in projects of great architectural quality, which not only integrate wisely into its vibrant urban life, but also propose innovative ways of living.
Residential buildings as attractive destinations in themselves
Focused on collective typologies, attempts to build well-designed, affordable housing are spread across all of Copenhagen's districts, taking advantage of its efficient public transport network. This good connectivity has made it possible to activate neighborhoods beyond the Indre By district, revitalizing abandoned suburbs and rehabilitating decaying industrial areas. Multi-ethnic and lower-income groups especially benefit from the arrival of these new housing projects, since they provide not only individual but also community value. Mixing public and private functions, their design delivers new public spaces to each neighborhood, integrating into the surroundings and improving existing urban equipment. Over time, many of these projects have become attractive destinations in themselves, as they offer a striking architecture that spatially allows new communal situations to happen.
Tietgen Dormitory, designed by Lundgaard & Tranberg architects, creates a new university neighborhood housing 400 students. Located on a site close to Copenhagen University in Ørestad North, the project is set in a circular shape with a central square, providing a generous meeting space for residents and visitors. Elsewhere in the city, in its northwestern part, Bjarke Ingels Group's Homes for All sits on the ground as a porous wall that curves to create a public plaza to the front and a more intimate courtyard to the rear. Most of these new projects open up their lower levels, generating public corridors that allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross the buildings freely and facilitating a fluid connection between different areas, circuits, and uses.
Modular construction and simple materials
Recent housing projects not only innovate in their urban implantation, but also present constructive strategies and materials that allow better quality solutions to be delivered, respecting budgetary restrictions. In general, architects have prioritized modular and prefabricated systems, easily and quickly "stacking" housing units that reduce their scale. In the case of BIG's recently mentioned Homes for All, the modules are arranged in such a way "that allows every second module an extra meter of room height, making the kitchen-living areas unusually spacious." In addition, its general configuration gives each unit its own terrace.
The materials used are modest and simple, leaving their natural texture and coloration exposed, both inside and out. Respecting the tradition and the existing local architecture, brick is one of the most used materials in facades. Amaryllis House, designed by Tegnestuen LOKAL + Mangor & Nagel, plays with a palette of red and brown bricks, which is associated with the Grønttorvet area's industrial past. ADEPT's Theodora House, for its part, reinterprets the image of the neighborhood near Elephant Gate and Tower, using custom bricks with a distinctive pattern on its first levels.
Innovative typologies that respond to citizen needs
The careful construction and urban strategies not only respond well to local regulations, but in many cases integrate the residents' participation in relevant decision-making. In Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects + Cobe's Krøyer Square project, for example, the local community helped define the height of the buildings and select the materials, increasing their sense of ownership and commitment to their immediate environment.
The needs of the inhabitants, specific to each area, are reflected in each of their innovative typologies, which go beyond the configuration of the typical housing apartment to point towards a shared –and more affordable– life. In the previously mentioned Tietgen Dormitory, the residential units are located radially in the cylindrical building, including one bathroom, terrace, and flexible furniture. Each section of 12 units is organized around a communal area and kitchen. Another interesting case is the Signalhuset project, designed by NOBEL architects, where the floors are designed according to "the 'four-in-one' principle, meaning that it is relatively simple to convert four youth units into a single, traditional one-family dwelling." In other projects, conventional residences share common areas such as greenhouses or orchards that are cared for by the neighbors.
The general concept of shared housing is expressed in many ways in Copenhagen, cleverly playing with the boundaries of private and public. Permeating the basic principles of their latest housing projects, Danish architects are betting on a well-planned coexistence, which not only makes Copenhagen a more accessible city, but also a more open, democratic, and socially sustainable one.
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