Unfolding the Train Island
From an infrastructural island to a bridging park
Master Thesis Troels Bak Wahlgreen
Troels Bak Wahlgreen
ZKM964
Master Thesis 30 ECTS Landscape Architecture and Urban Design Institut for Geovidenskab og Naturforvaltning Københavns Universitet Science May 2016 Supervisor: Svava Riesto Co-supervisor: Stig L. Andersson
Map of Denmark showing the location of the Train Island in relation to the national railway network.
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Introduction and Summary:
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The goal of this thesis has been an exploration in how to transform an area as a cultivation, where time is one of the main materials. The thesis has been devised as a design project to give a handson experience with the dialogue between site, proposal and time. The train island around Otto Busses Vej is an area in transformation. It lies as an infrastructure island, a hidden place, amid the city. The site is home to both CentralvĂŚrkstedet and Godsbaneremisen, both train workshops, that have been an important part in the history of the Danish railway network. DSB has moved out most of the workshop functions and is set to move out completely in the next 20 years. The site has been designated as a perspective site for future development by the municipality. Surrounded by disparate urban areas, heavy infrastructure and major urban developments the site is placed in an interesting context which creates an undeniable push upon transforming- and a lot of possibilities for the future of the site. To solve the problems and unlocking the potentials of the site, the vision for the future is to turn the infrastructural island into a bridging park. Creating an Urban park that is based on the unique character already on site to open up for a an interesting mix of urban nature and public facilities.
1. Embracing Forest
2. Connecting Thread
The design approach of the proposal uses the site as the foundation to create a framework which opens the site up for the local community, activates the site and stirs the imagination of what the site can become. The framework is the first step toward an urban park that initiates a cultivation where a constant feedback between users and site defines the future. The Concept of the proposal is divided in three parts that work together over different time perspectives to create a new Urban Park. 1. The Embracing Forest is a long term strategy which works toward keeping and enhancing the train island’s hidden and otherworldly character in the middle of the city. 2. The Connecting thread seeks to give the public access to the site and to connect the surrounding urban areas to each other. The thread is both set up instantly as a path giving access and as a way to mark for future connections across the infrastructural landscapes. 3. The Pioneer Gardens activates the site. Placed at current or future junctions of the thread and in relation to important areas of the site. Introducing and involving the local community with the site they stir the imagination and act as a knowledge-generating-tool for cultivating the site.
3. Pioneer Gardens
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Contents
Contents of the site. A collection of the typical materials at the site. 4
00. Introduction and Summary
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01. Vesterbro and Copenhagen 1. Inbetween infrastructure and future dreams 2. Potential to connect disparate urban areas 3. Significant changes creates opportunities 4. Potential for a new green structure 5. Municipal Visions calls for a different kind of place
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02. Otto Busses vej much more than a barrier 1. A Hidden Island Amid the pulsating city 2. A site of cultural heritage 3. A site divided into 5 areas
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03. Structure of the site 1. Railway Network 2. Orientation Grid 3. Vegetation the infiltrator 4. The Towns 5. The Rail fields 6. The Wasteland 7. Materiality of the Site
26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40
04. Vision for the Train Park
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05. Proposal 1. Design Approach 2. Concept 1. The Embracing Forest 2. The Connecting Thread 3. The Pioneer Gardens 3. The Site plan 4. The Gardens . Kolonihaven .Materialehaven .Otto Busses Plads 3. Timeline for the cultivation of the Train Park
44 46 48 54 56 58 62 64 68 76 84 92
06. Reflections
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.Litterature list
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The Train Island
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Vesterbro and Copenhagen 7
Inbetween infrastructure and future Dreams
Highway O2
O2 O2
Vasbygade
Highway O2 Ă˜resunds broen
Highway
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Marks the spot, each section is 1km
Major Roads, based on GIS
Railway line, stipled is underground
Major urban development areas, based on the municipalplan
The Train Island lies in the middle of the city district of Vesterbro and Kgs. Enghave. It is a well connected area lying between the City ring O2 and all the rail connections in and out of the city. Lying close to many of the biggest development sites of Copenhagen there is an undeniable push on the site which this project seeks to guide. Copenhagen is growing rapidly and the municipality is expecting a growth of 100.000 new inhabitants towards 2027 and planning for 45.000 new homes (kommuneplanen p. 11). To control the development of new city areas, the municipality has pointed out a small selection of development areas. Out of seven major development areas there are three placed in the vicinity of Otto Busses vej. These are the transformation of the industrial harbour of Sydhavnen, Carlsberg and Valby Syd.
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Potential to connect disparate urban areas Vesterbro
Kalvebod brygge
Bavnehøj
Sydhavn industry
Sydhavn
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Vesterbro
Bavnehøj
Sydhavn industri
Sydhavn
Ny Sydhavn canal city
Fisketorvet & Kalvebod Brygge
Large infrastructural elements distinguish the site from the surrounding areas creating an infrastructural Island. The surrounding urban areas are not only disconnected by the infrastructure but also very different in character.
brick buildings. The inhabitants are also a more diverse group across age and income. The area is physically very different from Vesterbro. There is a great mix between the very ordered and planned brick apartments and the small areas of haphazardly placed allotment gardens. In the eastern part of Sydhavnen a new neighbourhood is taking form. This new neighbourhood adopts the old industrial harbour area and will if following the plans consist mainly of private apartments. What demographic is going to live there is not yet certain. But the water access and kind of apartments might allude to a required income higher than the rest of Sydhavnen. To the east of the infrastructural Island lies the business area of Kalvebod brygge. The place is also home to fisketrovet shopping centre, hotels and congress halls.
The well known and lively Vesterbro lies to the north of the site. Back in the days it was primarily a workers quarter but that has changed and currently it is one of the most popular and trendy places to live in Copenhagen. The population is primarily young and engaged in their local community. Vesterbro is characterized by the dense structure of the typical apartment blocks of Copenhagen. The area is one of the least green parts of Copenhagen with only 2.63m2 green space pr. inhabitant. Bavnehøj and Sydhavnen are build as a social project of the welfare state in the 1930s. The area consists mostly of social housing in well defined red
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Significant changes creates opportunities Post Terminalen
Kødbyen Carlsberg New cultural city enclave approx. 6.000 New Inhabitants
New financial district estimate 1.000 new inhabitants
Urban cultural transformation
Det Grønne Strøg New Business area
Valby Syd New city district approx. 7.000 new inhabitants
Artellerivej Syd
Vesterbro Grows 29.2% in 20 years, from 61.223 to 79.623 inhabitants
New housing area Approx. 5.000 new inhabitants
Ny Sydhavn New city district approx. 11.000 new inhabitants
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Metro City-ringen
Accesroutes
Green Bike Route
Sydhavns Metro
Stormwater Management
The development of the surrounding area gives great possibilities for a transformation of the site towards something new. The whole district is in a rapid development. Based on calculations and assumptions of the development plans the district of Vesterbro and Kgs. Enghave will see a 29.2% growth in inhabitants over the next 20 years. The Major development areas in the district of Vesterbro and Kgs. Enghave are Carlsberg and Sydhavnen. Lying just outside the district is Valby Syd set to double the number of current inhabitants. Post terminalen besides the central station have just been sold and is planned to become a new financial district in copenhagen. The business area that lies in connection with Det Grønne Strøg is planning for more square meter in the future. A new IKEA along det grønne strøg is also in the pipeline for the near future. The big development happening in the industrial part of sydhavnen is coupled to a new metro line set
to open in 2023 going south of the infrastructural island. The new metro will also affect the old part of Sydhavn and connect to the southern part of Valby. There are plans to connect Valby and the inner city by creating a green bike route going south of Vester Kirkegård and through the infrastructural island. To connect the new sydhavnen area to Vesterbro the municipality hopes to make bridges accross the railway area and the metro maintenance area built in the center of the site. All these development plans creates great opportunities for the future of the train island. The great increase in inhabitants surrounding the site might allude one to look towards other development solutions than more appartments and look towards the green structure of the area.
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Potential for a new green attraction
Frederiksberg Have and Søndermarken 69 ha
Vesterbro Cityparks 8 ha
Det Grønne Strøg
56 ha Vester Kirkegaard 62 ha
Amager Fælled 246 ha
Valbypark and Sydhavnstippen 200 ha
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Amager Fælled Enghaveparken
Valby parken during Grøn Koncert
The Parks of the area is allready quite used and with the growth of the city and the district there is a need for more green spaces. Vesterbro is allready low on green space with 2,63 m2/inhabitant and the new plan for Sydhavnen isn’t helping that situation. The recreational possibilities of the area are quite varied. The parks of Vesterbro are all small urban parks and squares for a large amount of residents. The parks are all well defined and controlled to tackle this large amount users. Vestre Kirkegård is closest to a park in the district. The cemetary might be a green space but its primary function is as a cemtary and a place for contemplation. To the north of Vesterbro and as a part of Valby and Frederiksberg lies Frederiksberg Have and Søndermarken. Two romantic and historical parks well known for the castle, teehuts, sightlines, bended paths and small follies. The parks are quite used
Vester Kirkegård
all through the year. Valbyparken is placed on an old landfill site and functions as an activity park with the sports areas to the north and an open central field area for events. Amager fælled placed on the other side of the channel is a park that is best described as a wilderness that is slowly finding its footing. The future plans for Ørestaden and the harbor tunnel will take vast amount of land from the park. Det grønne strøg is an intersting technological green space in combination with office buildings and hotels. There only a few green sites planned for the new city district of sydhavnen and the water is mentioned as the greatest recreational strength of the area. This will create a dense environment that could benefit from a new park with a more open an unplanned character. The small amount green spaces in vesterbro also calls for a new green environment where the active urban population can get their hands dirty. Even though the 15
Municipal visions calls for a different kind of place
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The vision in Copenhagen’s Bynaturs Strategy.
Excerpt from Fælleskab i København
The municipality does not have any direct vision for the site, but the vision for the city shows a direction toward a different kind of place. A new site that focuses upon involving the local community, as a new place for bynatur and as a pilot project in dealing with bynatur. The municipality does not have any concrete direction for the site. There have been a dialogue with the local community but no comprehensive visions has been made. The primary wish for the site at the moment is a soccer pitch. Even though there are no direct visions for the train island the potential of the site can be coupled to a few general visions and strategies made by municipality in recent years. In the vision Fællesskab København(co-create the city) the municipality opens up for a more open transformation process across the city where the changes of the city is done together with the local community. This involves an approach to new urban spaces across the city where the everyday life is in the front seat instead of prioritising the shiny development projects. The individual characters in the city is nurtured instead of dulled to create a more interesting city while the connections between the different areas are to be strengthened to create an intriguing friction between the areas of the city.
The already successful bike-strategy will be further strengthened and there is going to be more focus upon the nature in the city. The municipality has to focus on the city-nature launched a new bynaturs strategy. Bynatur is recognized as an important part of the city for aesthetical, social and functional reasons. The strategy is new and the question of how to define bynatur is a popular topic at the moment. The local characteristics of green spaces is overlooked as a part of the strategy and bynatur is defined as a series of general naturetypes that fit different contexts. The main goals of the strategy is: 1. To create more bynatur in Copenhagen and 2. To heighten the quality of bynatur in Copenhagen(Bynatur strategi p. 5). The second goal is harder to define than the first, that primarily is about finding more space for green areas in the city. The second goal will need a more hands-on approach in pilot projects that explores the quality criteria of bynatur. The strategy also links to the municipal plan for a 100.000 new trees before 2025 in Copenhagen. These strategies and vision that the municipality has defined for its city opens up an interesting series of possibilities for a transformation of the site.
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Otto Busses Vej much more than a barrier 19
A Hidden Island amid the pulsating city
Banegraven defines a sharp border and Vesterbro meets it like a promenade.
Trains moving toward destinations accross the country and cars moving in and out of the city. Time, timing and speed is major part of the atmosphere of the area.
Inside, the unstoppable trains lie dormant among buildings and trees. CMC-Metro repair station. The automatic unmanned trains are manned, washed and repaired.
Vasbygade is a part of the O2 connecting the city to the outside.
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s
e Fenc r e n In
Metro fence
The Slope The terrain is mainly defined by the slop to the north that together with the metorfence creates an inner area. The inner fences seperate working areas from public.
The infrastructural island around Otto Busses vej is not only a barrier surrounded by infrastructure it is world of its own, a living and breathing place with its own special character and atmosphere. The place itself is a part of the infrastructure that surrounds it. The southern part is formed by the fact that it lies out to one of the main traffic roads of Copenhagen as the industry is dependent upon the connection. The northern section of the site is has been a big part of the Danish railway history. The site was build in 1907-1909 to take care of the trains for the rapid expanding railway network of DSB. The site is still used for maintenance of trains but the former glory it had back in the days of the locomotives is dwindling. Many of the workshops have been left and DSB have for a long time planned to move out for less expensive places outside the city. The middle of the site is occupied by a new repair centre for the
metro trains that continues the process of train-maintenance on the site. The characteristic of the place is tied to both the history of the site and to the duality between the fast moving trains to the north and the stationary trains which stands as small buildings on the site. Seeing the railway system as a landscape opposed to just an infrastructural element taking up space is one of the strengths of the site. The site lies as hidden world because of the surrounding infrastructure and the few access point connecting to the outside. The railway area north of the site creates a giant canal of moving trains currently dividing the site from Vesterbro while the heavy traffic from Vasbygade creates a channel of speeding cars. At the inside a slope creates a feeling of disappearing from the outside. The slope is 3m high and goes along the railway area to the west and north. The different parts of the site are divided by fences to separate working areas from public. 21
A site of cultural heritage Before 1909 Most of the site is salt meadow or a part of the sea . Land-filling of the site takes place in the 19th century as the Danish railway adventure begins. Parts of the site are used for farming and grassing in the vicinity of the city.
Right after 1909 Centralværkstedet is build in 1909 as an important national institution close to the central station. The construction of the southern harbour begins shortly after 1909 and the site becomes surrounded by industry and railways.
1945 The southern part of the infrastructural island is filled with allotment gardens awaiting the future use of the site. Most of the site is used for stacking and storage of materials, small gardens, maintenance buildings and railways. This is a part of the more busy days of centralværkstedet, when the hall for repairing locomotives are still in use.
After the 60es the decline After the 60’es and the decline of the locomotive the busy site changes. Godsbaneremisen changes to the new situation and takes over most of the train maintenance. Centralværkstedet and the work done there slowly declines. In the southern part of the site the allotment gardens are transformed to Freight container service and bus parking spaces.
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Map of the site from 1992
Centralværkstedet and godsbanermisen is an important monument in the history of the danish railway adventure and as a part of the industrial history of Vesterbro and Kgs. Enghave. It is designated by the Cultural Heritage Agency as one of 25 important danish industries together with Kødbyen, Carlsberg and Hc. Ørstedsværket (kulturarv.dk). Centralværkstedet was build from 1907-1909 to addres a problem of an increasing demand for train servicing and the continual construction of small maintenance stations. The plan was flexible to accomodate future functions and was placed upon 38 hectars of land to tackle the growing train industry. Most of the buildings are designed by the household architects of DSB N.P.C. Holsøe og Heinrich Wenck (kulturarv.dk).
The site did at its peak employ 1400 people but as the use of locomotives changed to diesel trains and as the importance of the train service for the state declined the use of the site has slowly stopped. Most of the work has moved to Godsbaneremisen that being placed in the outskirts of the site has been an easier place to reaccomodate for the new trains. Most of the site still contains the old ornamented buildings and walking into the site is like walking into a different world.
The site was an area of national importance that was governed by the state. The place was equipped with its own powerplant, smith, woodshop, etc. and hidden behind a 2,5 m high fence to make sure that it could always be up and running. Den gule by was a part of an emergency service for the railway where the empoyees who lived there could be called out within 20 minutes.
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A site divided into 5 areas
Connection Point // Fisketorvet
Th e
Tr ai
n
Ci
ty
Connection Point // Enghavevej
ir
pa e r -
tro e M
Connection Point // Sydhavn
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land
te Was
Tunnel
The Train City
Connection Point // Fisketorvet Metro-repair
Connection Point // Sydhavn
Wasteland
The site can be categorized into three big areas. The metro repair centre in the middle which is the newest addition to the site acts as the great divider because of its placement diagonally crossing most of the site and its aggressive fences. The Train city to the north contains all the historical buildings and the railway services. The wasteland to the south has been changing a lot over the years but is primarily a site for recycling stations, bus parking spaces etc. The train city is connected to surrounding district
through three connection points. A tunnel from the north western part of the site links the site to Enghavevej and Bavnehøj idrætscenter. The southern connection point linking the site to Sydhavnen. This is quite large area that is currently working as container city for metro-workers. The northern connection point links the site to Vasbygade, fisketorvet and det grønne strøg that is currently in development.
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Rail Fields
Towns
Wasteland
Places
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1. Railway Network
2. The Orientation Grid
3. Vegetation the infiltrator
Systems
Structure of the Site 27
1. Railway Network
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The railway tracks are the backbone of the site. They form the place and traces of them are still visible at the sites where they have been removed. The tracks connects the different buildings and functions as roads for the large trains that can be freighted into the site. This creates a link to the large network of train tracks that connects the regions of Denmark. Many of the buildings still have train tracks inside for repair and servicing the trains. The tracks are connected to different devices like traversing bridges for moving the trains across tracks and turntables for changing to a different set of railway-tracks. A lot of the history of the place is embodied in the railway tracks and a lot of the atmosphere of the place will disappear if they are removed which have already happened at some parts of the site.
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2. Orientation Grid
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The buildings of the site is ordered in a North-West orientated grid. The orientation grid creates a unity for the train island that makes buildings with different orientation stick out. The orientation grid tells the story about an industrial site strictly laid out as a mechanical system together with the railway system. A few buildings in the northern part of Godsbaneremisen follows the orientation of the railway system north of the site while the wasteland to the south completely shy away from any specific orientation.
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3. Vegetation the infiltrator
Forest str ip
e
nu Ave
Fruitgarden
Wilderness
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The Park
Fruitgarden
The Park
The Wilderness
Forest Strip
Transitions all over the site
Avenue- Lines of high trees
Vegetation infiltrates all parts of the site. The area lies partly dormant and a nature of transition appears where plants grows up while the industry tries to keep it at an acceptable level. Moss grows between railway tracks and the asphalt, grasses grow up between the tracks and small trees sprouts in concrete cracks.
isen and the rail field. It contains an equal amount of deciduous and coniferous trees. The avenue consists of high Tilia trees along the road to Den gule by. The fruitgarden lies north of trælageret and is small patch of grass with both apple and birch trees. The area have been used as a recreational place with a mowed lawn, but is at the moment left alone with shrubs and high grasses. In the middle of the site lies the park between Centralværkstedet and Godsbaneremisen. The area consist of high trees of Oak, Lime and other typical park trees, and the atmosphere is like a city park with trees spread out on a surface of grass. The area is closed off for events at lokomotivværkstedet.
The vegetation also defines five different areas with their own type of vegetation. The wilderness is found in the south western part of the site and can be characterized as the transition nature left to its own devices. Shrubs, high grasses, birch and other types of pioneer trees defines the wilderness. The forest strip divides Godsbanerem-
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The Towns
Godsbaneremisen Den Gule By
TrĂŚlageret
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CentralvĂŚrkstedet
Centralværkstedet- Den røde by
Godsbaneremisen- Montage byen
This is the historical heart of the site. This was where the locomotives and train carriages were turned new again. The largest buildings are placed in a horseshoe formation embracing a number of smaller buildings, which create a series of connected courtyards. The courtyards goes from vast squares to small alleys. The vast areas were formerly used for storing materials for the work. The buildings are all made by red bricks and lightly ornamented. They vary in height from 5-15 m with one being 24 m heigh.
The place was used for minor reparations of locomotives but are now the primary place for reparation of trains. The area is still in use and will probably be the last place DSB moves out from. The site has changed a lot over the years and the buildings goes from old red bricked buildings to modern concrete workshops. The area follows the orientation grid to the south whereas the railway system is followed towards the north. The buildings are mainly of the same height as Centralværkstedet at 5-15 m with the exception of an old ornamented water tower(20m).
Trælageret- Skovbyen
Den Gule By- Landsbyen
Trælageret was build as a part of centralværkstedet but is currently used as storage for anything. The cabins are in quite a bad shape, but also loaded with character. They are all two storeys high at 8 m with interesting ornamental details. Placed partly inside the wilderness and bordering up to a fruitgarden they have an atmosphere much different from the other building enclaves, feeling like a town of strange cabins in a forest.
The houses were used for the railway emergency service to fix broken railway tracks or move crashed trains. DSB has sold them and now they are ordinary homes except for their location. The buildings are all around 6m heigh with angled roof and painted yellow and arranged as row houses with their own garden. The houses and the gardens creates an interesting world much like a village that absurdly is placed inside an industrial site. 35
The Rail fields
Rail Plain Train Valley
Skydebanepladsen Plateau
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Train Valley
Rail Plain
A valley of railway tracks and motionless trains. The valley is defined by the slope going across the northern horizon. The valley is still in use and is filled with diesel trains that either has been or are awaiting repair. To the south of the valley a number of large Tilia trees going along the avenue create the backbone. The valley runs out past the oil tanks and observant tower in the canyon between godsbaneremisen and the foreststrip.
To the west north of Godsbaneremisen lies a plain of parallel rail-tracks disappearing in the horizon with scattered light posts pointing toward the sky. Small shrubs and trees spring up from the tracks mimicking the light posts. The area lies dormant not yet let to natures devices but neither in use.
Rail Plateau
Skydbanepladsen
Storing space for maintenance trains, freight trains and passenger trains. The plateau lies on top of the slope and is still in use. Small oblong hills separate the moving trains and the storing space. The area goes from the southern connection point to Den gule by and contains a single building, an old traffic tower that is primarily known for its role in an on old Danish movie (Olsen Banden pĂĽ sporet).
A giant square characterized by the Traversing bridge going through the whole area. The traversing bridge follows the orientation grid and the facade of VognvĂŚrkstedet, the lines of tracks for storing trains are placed perpendicular to it. To the other side lies malervĂŚrkstedet and the growing wilderness.
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The Wasteland
Wasteland
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The southern area is a place that has not found its own character yet. At the moment it is filled with warehouses, large surfaces for storing junk, recycle stations, parking spaces and a dubious office furniture store. The buildings and the roads doesnt follow an orientation grid or similar construction. The area is strangely bleak compared to the train island north of it, but the disorder does have its own charm. The area was used for allotment gardens before it got reclaimed for industrial purposes.
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Materiality of the Site
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Moving between different states
Superimpositions of materials
Surfaces in transformation
Railway Tracks Rock-Wood-Steel
Multiple Layers
Transitions
Red Brick Ornamentation
Surprising juxtapositions
Material types coexisting
Steel with steel
Material Accumulated
Spontaneous vegetation
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Connecting Vesterbro
Cultural Heritage
A Different World
Adaptable park
Activity park
Stations for nearby institutions
Bynaturs Center
Participatory Park
Helping to weave Vesterbro and Kgs. Enghave together both physically and socially.
An world of its own. A place that is both inside and outside the city.
A park for different activities of sport, venues and cultural institutions like library, culture houses, etc.
Helping Copenhagen with the new goals and acting as a pilot project. A park for growth and biodiversity.
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A place showing the sites history as well as a part of Vesterbro’s disappearing industrial history.
An adaptable park that can be cultivated and changed over time.
Acting as a site for learning stations, conference areas and concert venues.
A park meant to invite the locals to participate in its change and activities.
Togparken
“Urban Nature connecting Vesterbro� The vision for the future of the site is to transform it from an infrastructural island to a bridging park. A place that connects the disparate urban areas in a setting both inside and outside the usual urban realm. To reach this goal the park will be laid out over time as a cultivation of the site to accommodate for the changing conditions of the surrounding urban areas and to create a richer place refined over time by the local community. The foundation for the park is its current unique character and its important cultural heritage creating a foundation that can not be found anywhere else in Copenhagen. The park will both be a green environment, a place for growth, and a lively urban environment using the buildings on the site for cultural and public functions.
Vision for the Train Park 43
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Proposal 45
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C
g
ct in g
tiv at in
ul
ne
ci ng
an
C on
En h
Design Approach
Enhancing what is already there The site itself is creating the foundation for the transformation. The area has been in a transformation since the landfill in the 19th century. Instead of cleaning the slate for a new future it is stronger to continue the story that is already at the site. The train industry has been an important element in the history of Vesterbro and Kgs. Enghave and the site embodies that story. When defining ourselves and our relation to an area, we usually focus upon the meanings, stories and atmosphere of the site. When transforming a site like the Otto Busses vej these meanings are already there free of charge, so instead of creating new ones we can use the present atmosphere and present it as a strength of the site which makes it distinct and interesting.
Connecting the public The proposal seeks to create a framework that unlocks the resources of the site and present them to the public. The framework should both be able to grow over the years and be open enough so it does not define what the site should be. The framework is the seed from which the area grows and the growing process is from here handed over to the public for future scrutiny.
Cultivation towards a maturity The framework will from this point on work as a knowledge-generating-tool which both helps to open the area up and to learn about how to use the area. This starts a cultivation process where the end of the project is blurred in exchange for an ever growing process of how the site should be. There is no end to the project but a process towards maturity.
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Concept
The Connecting Thread
The Pioneer Gardens
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The Embracing forest
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Embracing forest Longterm strategy to define the place To define a unity at the site and to contain its many atmospheres, a long term strategy for the creation of a forest edge is set in motion. The forest will grow into a frame in the next 20+ years. The site is already a hidden world in a complex context of different urban areas. This remarkable atmospheric quality is heightened by establishing the forest edge.
Connecting Thread Connecting the site and the surrounding districts The connecting thread works as a railway track that connects the site with the surrounding areas. The path is set up as the first new element of the site. This is to instantly invite the public into an undiscovered world but also to strengthen the future planned connections. The thread both works as a path and an element to display the landscape of the site by lighting.
Pioneer Gardens Activating the site and the imagination The Pioneer Gardens are placed at each junction, both current and future, of the thread to both engage the public to the site and to start a transformation. The gardens has different functions so even though not being connected they work as a wholesome organism. Their character and atmosphere is tied to the characteristics on site, both to what the site is now and to what it has been in the past. They are small tableaux that stirs the imagination of the users and the people passing by the site.
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Embracing forest Two different types of forest The embracing forest is grown in two different ways. The north-western part of the site by the railway already has two existing woodlands in the foreststrip and the wilderness. These and the natural spreading of seeds will provide the base for a wild grown nature at vacant areas and by smart phasing out tactic at the railway site. The south-eastern part will be planted as plantation as more of the land is brought in to become a part of the urban park. The plantation follows the orientation grid of the site and will initially work as an element connecting the wasteland to north.
Connecting Thread Connecting the site and the city The thread is a part of a series of networks. It functions as an inner loop to connect the different places of the site and as a biker and pedestrian infrastructure connecting the different parts of the disconnected district. From east to west it becomes a part of the green bike route planned by the municipality. It is not functioning as a bikepath highway but as an experience bikepath that both lead you to and through destinations. The North-south path is a future development plan to create a better connection between vesterbro and the new Sydhavnen.
Pioneer Gardens Activating the landscape The pioneer gardens activates the landscape of the site. They are not only places of their own but also as connection points to the more important areas of the site e.g. Skydebanepladsen, CentralvĂŚrkstedet, Godsbaneremisen etc. The important areas that are still in use can slowly be phased out while the public gain access to the pioneer gardens and the site. The gardens will in this respect function as knowledge-generators cultivating ideas and prospects for what these areas can become.
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Self growing forest
Plantation forest Forest strip
Wilderness
Self growing forest
Vesterbro Green Bike conncetion from Valby
Inner loop Kalvbod Business and shopping
Vesterbro-Sydhavnen conncetion
Bavnehøj
New Sydhavnen
Sydhavnen
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The Embracing Forest
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Defining a Hidden world The embracing forest helps to unify the place without reforming the site to a unified approach. At the moment the site is a hidden world in the middle of Copenhagen. This is a strength that the forest edge seeks to keep at the same time as the place is opened up to the city. Importance is not placed on being able to walk in a forest all the way around the edge in a forest but that you move through a forest edge whenever you enter the site.
Northern Wilderness The northern part of the forest edge is grown as a wilderness. The already present wilderness areas and foreststrip functions as seed pods. The strategy is to let vacant parts of the fenced-in areas grow wild and to continue this process when other areas are not needed for train maintenance. In conjunction with this strategy the actual functions of the areas will be decided in the future.
Southern Plantation To the south, the wasteland is slowly redefined as a plantation of different city trees. The plantation follows the general orientation grid of the site to create a connection between the wasteland and the train workshops. The plantation is not planted at the same time and the exact location is going to happen as a negotiation of what is going to happen here.
Providing trees for the city The plantation will function both as a nursery to the site for future planting of trees inside the area and as a nursery for the city of Copenhagen. This will both support the future landscapes of the many development areas in Copenhagen and the 100.000 new trees municipal strategy.
Time will unify the southern part The plantation starts out as a linear production landscape but will over time as the trees grow and are moved, grow into a more organic forest that will be closer to the appearance of what the northern wilderness is turning into. 55
The Connecting Thread
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A track accros the landscape The thread connects the landscape as single railway-track that cuts through the landscape. Like following a thread through the landscape there is not a unified path surface instead the bikers and pedestrians are whenever it is possible led over the different ground surfaces of the site. When a hard surface is needed for the thread asphalt will
be the material of choice. The thread is both the track that defines the path and the lighting poles that presents and in the evening light up the landscape. The light poles also helps to show where the future connections is going to be.
Materiality and network The thread will be made in metal with a light-strip in the middle for orientation in the dark. The lighting poles will be made in the same material. At each of the gardens an element will function as a (rail)turntable at the junction that will use the same material in different ways.
Future Connections By the connection points the steel material of the thread will be used in different ways to help define the future connection. This is done in ways that takes into account problems or local interests of the location and to exhibit the edge zones as landscapes of interest. To both do something for that location and to create interest and awareness for the new Train park.
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The Pioneer Gardens
Drawing upon the Characteristrics of the site The pioneer gardens both draw upon the current characteristic and materiality of the site, and what has been there. The special character of this place is kept and used as a way to take the ordinary like gardens, squares, forests etc. and show them in a new light. The character of the place is also used to help refine this as a place like no other. Instead of creating a completely new atmosphere the goal here is to alluding to the ones already present.
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The Site
Possibilities
Introducing the public to the site The gardens are gateways to the site for the public. They introduce the public to the site and to the imaginary world and possibilities of the “train park�. The local communities of the disconnected district becomes engaged in the gardens and is introduced to a common ground.
Activating the site as a knowledge-generating-tool The site is activated as a result of the gardens. The increase in public awareness of the unique site places a pressure upon a transformation of the place toward something new. The gardens show different possibilities for the site and characters of the site. They start a cultivation for a site with many possibilities while at the same time involving the local community in the process of the transformation of the Train Island.
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Toghaven -A Wild-Flower Garden
Kolonihaven -Community Garden
Otto Busses Plads -An Open Plaza
Materialehaven -A Tactile Forest
Frugthaven -Recreational Garden
Plantagehaven -Activity Plantation
Tryk over Kongens Enghave ved Franz Sedivy 1916
Enghaven -Activity Meadow
Skrothaven -Community Plaza
A unit of different spaces The Gardens each have different functions so they together act as a fragmented park providing a rich variety of experiences and activities before DSB moves out.
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Carlsberg
The Site plan
Train Valley
Den Gule by
Frugthaven CentralvĂŚrkstedet
Skydebanpladsen
TrĂŚlageret Wilderness
Wilderness
Kolonihaven
Rail Plateau
Asphalt path moving through the wilderness
Enghaven
Sydhavn station
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M
Banegraven
TraffiktĂĽrnet
Rail plain
Foreststrip
Toghaven
Fisketorvet
Plantagehaven
Godsbaneremisen
Otto Busses plads
Materialehaven
Metro maintenance
Skrothaven Wasteland
HC. Ă˜rstedsvĂŚrket
1:8000
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Frugthaven Recreational fruitgarden at Skydebanen Placed between skydebanepladsen, the plateau, trælageret and den gule by. The place is divided in two by the large building of malerværkstedet. Out towards skydebanepladsen lies a strip of spontaneous vegetation but to the other side lies a green area with up to several apple trees. The area is known as the fruit garden because of these trees and seems to have been used by the workers as a meeting points at breaks. Frugthaven will become an intimate recreational garden that functions as a back garden for the local community. The fruit garden will be further enhanced and strengthened. The site is framed by a forsynthia hedge giving a few colourful months a yellow relation to Den gule by and creating a unified space of friction between the spontaneous vegetation and the fruit trees.
Den Gule By
The plateau
Skydebanepladsen
Existing conditions
Trælageret 64
Toghaven Wild-flower garden spreading seeds Toghaven(train garden) lies by the future junction towards Vesterbro and is placed on a small parcel on the southern edge of the Train valley with CentralvĂŚrkstedet and the park to the south, the avenue towards Den gule by to the west and Godsbaneremisen to the west. The place is currently used for storage of metal, single pair of train-tracks for maintenance vehicles and a fine ornamented wooden shed. Toghaven is going to functions as a wild-flower garden where one experience the combination of colourful flowers, the smell of oil, humming of engines and heavy trains. The wild-flowers that thrives on poor soil are meant to spread their seeds to the train valley so that the barrier between the garden for the public and the train valley for train maintenance will disappear over time.
Train Valley
Godsbaneremisen
The Avenue
Existing conditions
CentralvĂŚrkstedet and the park
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Enghaven Urban meadow and activity area At the south western outskirts lies one of the large connection points which connect the site to the surrounding district. The site is currently used as temporary container city for metro-workers. The northern part of the site is characterised by the gentle slope towards the plateau and the grassland, while the western part is defined by a large tunnel shaft for the trains going over amager. Before the railways the place was used for farming and grassland. The garden is laid out as large meadow on a gentle sloping terrain with islands of activity zones in the high grass. Being placed beside Sydhavnen and Bavnehøj a high proportion of residents are nearby to turn the site into an activity area.
The Wilderness
Sydhavn station
Metro area
Existing conditions
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Sydhavnen
Plantage Haven Plantation and activity area Plantage haven lies at the north eastern part of the site and is the other big connection point together with Enghaven. The place is currently just the remnants of a metro construction site. The place therefore has no history or character other than its surroundings. The future green connection det grønne strøg that will be a connection to the city lies to the north. To the east lies Vasbygade, a gas station and the shopping centre fisketorvet. To the south lies the wasteland with its vast concrete surfaces and heaps of materials. Godsbaneremisen lies to the west while a bit further one can find the rail plain. As a part of the embracing forest edge this is to become a plantation area and a nursery for trees. The plantation garden will both be a nursery and a activity area for the local residents and the many visitors at fisketorvet.
Dybbelsbro
Godsbaneremisen
Vasbygade and Fisketorvet
Existing conditions
The wasteland 67
Kolonihaven Community gardening in the industry Kolonihaven lies at the site of the former Akkumulator station(Accumulator station) which is now in use as storage area for all kinds of items. The building “Akkumulatoren� is not in use for anything specific at the moment. The area is mainly a big open space, though there is a grass area and some scattered trees to the east of the site. In the middle lies a small area of spontaneous vegetation growing up from a surface of rotten wooden sleepers. The place lies between two areas of wilderness both to the east and to the west. The wilderness to the west has been left to its own devices for a long time and can be characterised as small woodland. The metro area lies to the south while skydebanepladsen is found north of the garden.
Skydebanepladsen
Wilderness
Wilderness
Existing conditions
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Metro area
Kolonihaven is placed at a part of the site that has formerly been storage area for wood and allotment gardens. The allotment gardens are a typical way of using vacant areas close to the railways and industrial sites. Kolonihaven uses this as its defining character to create a community gardening area in an industrial setting. The orientation grid defines garden zones that will be further defined by the local community. The area of wooden sleepers are kept as a garden of spontaneous vegetation and as memory of the areas former function as an storage area for wood. A surface of gravel surrounds the gardens and the transition from gravel to garden zone is separated by railway tracks. A pergola made of concrete reinforcing wire mesh and with growing vines both frame the site and functions as a wind barrier for the site. Towards the garden the pergola can be used for climbing veg-
etation like beans or hop plants. To the south-east the pergola breaks up and helps as a visual barrier to the metro area and as a garden of commonplace berries. Different garden trees are planted throughout the site. They are placed so they detract from the rigid grid structure and create a visual horizon of different types of trees both in species and form and so they only minimally affect the garden zones. They act as kind of botanical garden for typical garden trees. The Connecting thread from the other gardens meets in the middle of the site as a small water basin which acts as a water resource for the garden, a place to sit and watch the garden.
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TrĂŚlageret
Existing tree The Connecting thread going to Frugthaven Salix Alba
Robinia pseudoacacia
Prunus Serrulata
Cornus M
Ginkgo Biloba Wilderness Wooden Sleepers as benches
Junction and w
Spontaneous vegetation zone
Pergola outside planted with Caprifoliaceae
Laburnum Waterei
Nothofagus Antartica
Pinus Nigra
Lirondendron Tulipfera
Fagus Riversii
Gravel surface The Connecting thread coming from Enghaven
Existin Concrete surface
Akkumulatoren
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Skydebanepladsen
Wilderness
The Connecting thread going to Materialehaven Quercus Robur ‘Fastigata’
Castanea Sativa Pergola outside planted with Caprifoliaceae
Mas
ater source Existing tree
Sambucus Nigra Brombær Hindbær Ribs Amelanchier
Solbær
Metro maintenance area
1:500
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Garden zones
Pergola and trees
Surfaces and building
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Garden zones The gardens zones are handed over to the local community to use however they wish. The gardens will hopefully change character year after year as different users try different ideas out. If there are no users the garden zones just become places of spontaneous vegetation.
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Pergola and trees
The garden is scattered with different ornamental trees typically used in house gardens. Different colours, sizes and structures create an interesting landscape.
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A pergola surrounds kolonihaven. Made with reinforcing concrete wire mesh the industrial context isn’t forgotten but used to define the garden. The outside of the pergola is planted with honeysuckles while inside towards the garden zones the pergola can be used for gardening projects.
Surfaces and building
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The surface of the pioneer garden is primarily gravel between the gardens. Toward akkumulatoren the existing concrete floor is kept as flexible surface towards the building. Akkumulatoren is handed over to the garden community and its final use will be apparent over time. The area of wooden sleepers is kept and acts as a garden for spontaneous vegetation and as a contrast to the community gardens. Railway tracks separates three sides of the garden zones to the gravel surface while one side is separated by a raised concrete slab acting as bench.
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Materialehaven An industrial forest garden Materialehaven lies at a future junction connecting to the other side of the metro area to Sydhavnen. The site was formerly a place for train carriages awaiting repair. Most of the railway tracks have been removed with the exception of single set of tracks in the centre. To each side of the single set of tracks there is an asphalt plateau. Some other remnants are still present like lighting posts and a small shed for electricity. Spontaneous vegetation has overtaken most of the site. To the south lies the metro area, to the west a wilderness area while the park area and godsbaneremisen can be found to the east of the site. The area is mainly connected to CentralvĂŚrkstedet and its series of courtyards to the north. These courtyards are now mostly for parking spaces but was back in the day filled with stacks of materials for repairing locomotives. CentralvĂŚrkstedet
Wilderness
The park and Godsbaneremisen
Existing conditions
Metro area 76
Material stacks
Gravel heap
Wood beams
Metal Plates
Asphalt
Broken Stones
Metal beams
Concrete
Railway tracks
Stacked rail-sets
Brick square
Materialehaven is stylized representation of the natural decay of an industrial areas and the wild grown nature that takes its place. It also relates to the different groups of material that the site consists of and that were stacked in the courtyards of centralvĂŚrkstedet. The garden seeks to present these different worlds of materials that is disappearing from the site and present their tactility and properties as an aesthetic experience. They are stacked in different ways common to their materiality and acts as habitats that over time will grow into something new. No special planting inside these spaces are allowed as the material properties over time will define what kind of habitats they become. One of the material stacks functions both as a habitat and as small square.
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Grovsmedjen
Betula Utilis
Steel Grate path
Tall telemast
Concrete Railsets
existing light mast Betula Utilis
Asfalt stacks E x is
E x is
ti
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Brick Plaza
Tilia Cordata
Metal beams
Concrete Stacks Wood stacks
Wilderness
Broken stones
The Connecting Thread going to Kolonihaven 78
al t p
la te
The Connecting Thread going to Otto Busses plads
Existing gravel square for parking Quercus Robur
Metal plates
Gravel heaps
e au
Spontaneaus
Quercus Robur
Railset
Betula Pendula Cornus Alba Poppulus Nigra Italica Quercus Robur Pinus Sylvestris
1:500
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Existing items and asphalt for biking
Existing landscape The existing element on the site like lighting post and railway tracks are kept. The asphalt plateaus are also kept and used as bike-paths as a part of the green bike route going through the train park. The garden is framed east and west by continuing lines of trees already present. A line of Himalaya Birch trees outside Grovsmedjen defines the western border while two oak trees to the west are continued to frame the other side.
Path system The path system that connects the visitors to the different material stacks follows the orientation grid. The path is raised from the ground and is made of metal grates that allows one to be above and off the ground. The metal surface also introduces a different surface material that isn’t found in any of the other gardens. The central path placed between the two asphalt plateaus functions as the main path. Tilia trees are planted at the intersections to refer to the avenue of Tilia trees that link Godsbaneremisen and Den gule by north of the materialehaven.
Metal grates for walking 80
Tilia
Starting point
After 5 years
After 12 years
After 20 years
1:125 81
Example of a birch forest at Alnarp
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The birch forest
The material stacks are placed inside a growing birch forest. The forest will start as 1 m high trees planted in a 1 x 1 m grid. Over time the birch trees will grow from a rigid field of small trees into a forest of white pillars before it ends up as light forest of big scattered trees. To avoid pollen only female birch trees will be planted.
Flickerings in the forest
Pinus Sylvestris
Quercus Robur
Cornus Alba
Poppulus Nigra
As flickering elements in the birch forest a few other species are planted at different points. All are pioneering species. Pinus Sylvestris is planted for the winter months. Cornus Alba is planted as a shrub species for the under-story of the forest but also as winter element where the red branches compliments the white stems and the pinus sylvestris. Quercus Robur gives a robust element to the forest and the poppulus Nigra ‘Italica’ to introduce a different form in the forest. All the trees are planted in groups of four as 1 m high trees to increase the chance of a single successful tree.
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Otto Busses plads An open plaza by the park Otto Busses plads lies at one of the future centre points of the site with paths coming from all directions. This will be where the north-south connection between Vesterbro and Sydhavnen, and the eastwest connection of the green bike route meets. The site lies partly inside the park area, and is placed between CentralvĂŚrkstedet to the west and Godsbaneremisen to the east. The site itself has been used for garages, oil and other types of storage. Currently it is a trash site for the train workshops. The many changes that has happened over the years are visible as a patchwork of surfaces. There still some low storage buildings on the area of little aesthetic value.
Godsbaneremisen
CentralvĂŚrkstedet
Godsbaneremisen
Existing conditions
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Metro area
Otto Busse plads is going to be a central point for the whole area placed at an infrastructural node, by the park that already contains some beautiful tall trees and between the two main towns of the site, Centralværkstedet and Godsbaneremisen. Lokomotivværkstedet to the west is an already well established event centre. Therefore it seems natural to make this place into a big open square for different events. The square is named after Otto Busse who was an influential engineer for DSB in the 19th century. To further enhance the site the park area is opened to the public as a small recreational park. The square keeps the different existing surfaces both outside and if possible the ones inside the low storage buildings. The buildings are removed from
the site. To create a single unity and to connect the plaza with the suroundings, sets of railway tracks cuts accross the plaza and the different surfaces. The railway tracks are a continuation of the lines of tracks inside lokomotivværkstedet. A bright concrete is used between the tracks. The southern and western part of the square is blocked with Tilia trees to define an innner space while an opening towards south-west is kept to create a visual connection to HC. Ørstedsværket. A big metal circle lies as a big turntable that connects the many paths and as a scene to move accross. A surface of wooden blocks forms an area to sit at the corner of the square to the north-east. The surface is of the same kind formerly used in the workshops for train maintenance.
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Tilia Cordata
Quercus Robur
The Park
Light Mast Tilia Cordata
Prunus Avium
Quercus Robur
Different existing surfaces
LookomotivvĂŚrkstedet and CentralvĂŚrkstedet
Tilia Cordata
Tilia Cordata
The Connecting thread going to Mateialehaven 86
Godsbaneremisen
The Connecting thread going to Toghaven
Workshop corner Wooden workshop floor
The Connecting thread going to Plantagehaven
Tilia Cordata
The Turntable
Railway track lines
Future connection to Skrothaven
1:500 Metro maintenance area
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Surfaces of history
Tracks from Lokomotiv vĂŚrkstedet
The lines of railway tracks inside lokomotivvĂŚrkstedet continues onto the square connecting the square to the former train maintenance. The set of tracks are filled with a bright concrete that both reflect light and creates contrasts to the existing surfaces. The existing surfaces consist of gravel, concrete, asphalt and SF-sten. The exact surface materials inside the buildings have not been explored yet and will if needed be replaced with something different.
Some of the existing surfaces 88
Enclosement and direction The park area with it 15m or higher trees forms the north and west border. Tilia trees are planted inside the railway tracks line south and west to define an enclosed square. An opening in the south-west direction opens the view to HC. Ørstedsværket to create a connection between the industrial areas. The southern line of trees also functions as an avenue pointing towards the entrance to lokomotivværkstedet.
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Workshop corner
Cherry Trees An opening in the surface becomes a line of three cherry trees bringing a domestic dimension to the square.
In the north-east corner where the evening sun shines a patch of the old workshop floor creates a zone to sit down amid low hazel trees and light masts. The Pillars of light masts functions as lighting for the square and to help enclose the corner space.
Workshop floor
Corylus Avellana
Light masts
The Turntable The turntable is one of the main element on the square. It connects the many paths meeting at the site. The turntable points toward north thereby breaking the orientation of the grid throughout the site. This is done to enhance it as a centre point for the square but also to refer to the national expanse of the railway system and by reaffirming the global orientation from local conditions. The turntable is cladded with steel plates that weathers over time. In the middle of each plate is placed a light source that lights up in the evening to create a surface of flickering stars in the dark. The turntable can also function as scene using the light sources for dramatic effect.
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Timeline for the Cultivation of the Train Park Vesterbro
Plantagehaven
Skrothaven
The wasteland
Railway plain
Godsbaneremisen
Otto Busses Plads Train valley Toghaven Banegraven Materialehaven CentralvĂŚrkstedet The Yellow Town
TrĂŚlageret
Skydebanepladsen Kolonihaven The wilderness Frugthaven
The Rail Plateau Enghaven
Sporet
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2016
2020
2024
2036 Population has increased by 29%
All apartments for the new Sydhavnen is build
Carlsbergbyen is estimated finished Moving some of the trees out into other parts of the Copenhagen
Placing functions and activities
Defining future character of the place Defining future character of the plantationforest
Fisketorvet metro is build New Apartments
Plantation growth
Moving some of the trees out into other parts of the Copenhagen New functions are defined and a New buildings are planned future plan
Soccer fields
Defining future character of the place
Finding new possibilities
Plantation growth
2032
Kalvebodvest is estimated finished
Sydhavnsmetro is realized
New Carlsberg station
Plantation growth
2028
foreststrip grows into the edges of the area Ideas for the area begins to form
Train maintenance continues
The surrounding park grows
The Square is realized
New Connection to Vesterbro
(Soccer field)
Encroaching foreststrip
Events are held
Small workshops moves in
Area is opened up to the public
bridge over the metro area is build
New cultural facilities are installed into the buildings
A part of the vesterbro connection An important square for the whole district
Becomes a connector
The importance grows
Train maintenance Train maintenance The Forest strip grows into the valley diminish Seeds are spread from the train garden continues Future path is visible and flowers bloom Flowers bloom and seeds Flowers are planted Small events take place are spreading The Garden is realized
A new relationship is formed The garden, valley and forest strip is one
Amphitheatre in the New connection from hillside Vesterbro over the valley to the garden
The punctuality of the trains continue New Connection to The punctuality of the trains The future connection is The vesterbro connecVesterbro continues in a new light marked by lighting and gates tion point is marked Vegetation of the material zones The vegetation in the The tree crowns are above visitors White trunk forest The Garden is realized become distinct material zones forms The material zones are The northern edge becomes a square The trees are 1m high The trees surrounds visitors being evaluated The inner squares gets Trees from the plantations are moved in Small businesses and workDSB moves out temporary functions a few student housing A new green cultural point in Vesterbro shops are moving in Vognværkstedet is getting a new function The future is formed Typical housing The east side expands into the powerpant for new Typical housing nothing changes student and social housing. nothing changes Kolonihaven activates Train maintenance a part of the square continues The Garden is realized Locals start to use it
A possible expansion to the notrth
Akummolatoren is renovated to its new function
Harvest gatherings
Connected to skydebanepladsen and the wilderness
The Wilderness finds a typology
The wilderness becomes a forest
Functions for the buildings are found
The Wilderness slowly grows into the rail plateau
The path goes through the southeastern parts
The site is a new active area
The surrounding hedge is removed
Small workshops moves into the buildings
The Garden is realized Train work continues
The new functions are implemented
Trælageret finds new functions The Wilderness grows out into the rail plateau
The wilderness is free to grow The path goes through
A new function is found in connection to vognværkstedet
Sculptures are placed at the vacant areas
Trainfunctions are slowly moved out from the east to west
Functions for the Islands are The path connects decided The urban meadow is realized the site Meadow begins to mature Metro-apartments are still on the site Future connections are lit up The path connects the site Lighting amartures Paths to the south are build exhibits the area
The garden is now connected to skydebanepladsen and the slope Opens to public The area has become a forest shrubs
Has become an activity area The wilderness slowly moves in from the north
A new surrounding New Connection to path is planned Vesterbro Paths into centralværkstedet Paths moves into are built Godsbaneremisen
Metro bridge is built
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This Thesis has attempted to come up with a proposal for a cultivation of the site around Otto Busses Vej. The cultivation is initiated with the site as the foundation and by creating a framework that plants the seeds for realizing the vision for a new connecting urban park. Moving into this territory has been an interesting experience. When dealing with such a complex and huge site the way of working towards a proposal changes dramatically from a small scale project. In working towards a cultivation of a place where feedback between site, users and proposals are in a dialogue the detailing of the project changes. To initiate the cultivation the focus have to be placed more upon the story and the imaginary of the site to set the framework and wait for the detailing until the local actors have bee involved. An important part of this thesis has been to avoid the casual us of temporary functions that can be set up and removed when developers are ready to build and instead to create a framework that sets the site into motion early and plants seeds that is not temporary but has a connection and a possibility to grow into the future of the site. But how little is needed to set a cultivation of an area towards a vision into motion? And when does it just become storytelling and a branding of the site? Working with the character of the site as the main driver for a project creates the possibility for the creation of places that are already a part of their context, and that respects and uses their unique characteristics for something new. But working with a remarkable area of national importance in the middle of the city is very different from a nondescript site in the middle of nowhere. Is there a point where a site can be too indefinite for their character to be the foundation of the project? Or is the thought of a project in the middle of nowhere an illusion that avoids looking deeper into the complexity and richness that can be found even in the most nondescript place?
As a basis for the creation of a new park in the thesis is the municipal strategy for Bynatur. The strategy works towards two main visions 1. Create more green areas 2. Create better quality nature. The strategy does not mention local characteristics as a part of the nature in the city but is more occupied with defining the general qualities of nature. In working with the train island the local characteristic of the vegetation has been an important element leading to the proposal. It might be important to explain developers and the public the importance of bynatur in general terms, but the local characteristics should not be forgotten in favour of a spreadsheet type nature. The local qualities of the built structures is seen as important for the multiplicity of the life in the city but cant the same be said for the green structure? When working with the cultivation of a site in the isolated environment of a thesis process, the dimension of the dialogue with local actors is non-existent. It could be interesting to further explore how to work with cultivation when the local community is involved. The initial dialogue is missing in a proposal that seeks to create a framework for an action-driven dialogue. Though this might also be a strength as this can initiate the dialogue with a proposal that hasn’t tried to accommodate for too many compromises. Instead of starting to agree on a series of terms a proposal might start out sparking the imagination (or contempt) of the local actors and working either as a leading thread or a barometer for a dialogue. As a last note the two offices Blue Bakery and Nordi Architects has just won a contract to develop a strategy for creative zones in vesterbro where the Train Island is one of the zones. The push upon the site is definitely real and its potential not unseen.
Reflections 95
Litteraturelist
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Chemetoff, Alexandre: Visits. Birkhäuser Verlag AG, 2009 Braae, Ellen: Beauty Redeemed. Birkhauser Verlag GmbH, 2015 Jernbanen KBH-Korsør. http://slks.dk/25-fantastiske-industrier/13-jernbanen-kbh-korsoer/. sidst opdateret: 14.04.2015. Center for Byplanlægning: Strategier for Bæredygtig Byomdannelse. Kunstakademiets Arkitektskole, 2010. Kugler, Elizabeth: Intermediate Natures - The landscapes of Michel Desvigne. Birkhäuser Verlag AG, 2009 Marot, Sébastien: Sub-Urbanism and the Art of Memory. Architectural Association, 2003 Vogt, Gunther: Miniature and Panorama. Lars Müller Publishers, 2012 Byudvikling for 35 milliarder i Sydhavn. 8.07.2014. http://byensejendom.dk/article/byudvikling-for-35-milliarder-i-sydhavn-12885. sidst tilset: 16.05.2016. Danica vil bygge højhuse på op til 100 meter på Postterminalen Vesterbro. 22.10.2015. http://byensejendom.dk/article/danica-vil-bygge-hojhuse-paa-op-til-100-meter-paa-postterminalen-paa-vesterbro-16843. sidst tilset: 16.05.2016. Carlsberg Byen. http://www.carlsbergbyen.dk . Sidst tilset 16.05.2016 Hauxner, Malene: Supernatur. Malene Hauxner & Ikaros Press, 2011 Københavns Kommune: Bynatur i København. Københavns Kommune - Teknik og Miljøforvaltningen, 2015 Københavns Kommune: Fælleskab København. Københavns Kommune - Teknik og Miljøforvaltningen, 2015 Københavns Kommune: KVARTERPLAN OMRÅDEFORNYELSE - SYDHAVNEN. Københavns Kommune - Teknik og Miljøforvaltningen, 2015 Københavns Kommune: Københavns Kommuneplan 2015. Københavns Kommune - Teknik og Miljøforvaltningen, 2015 Foxley, Alice: Distance and Engagement. Lars Müller Publishers, 2010 Abraham, Anders: A New Nature. Lars Müller Publishers, 2015 Bunschoten, Raoul: Urban Flotsam. 010 Publishers, 2001
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