ATHENAEUM - 2023 COPENHAGEN COMPETITION

REGARDING A POPULATION OF ABOUT 600.000 PEOPLE, THE BIG VARIETY

OF ARCHITECTURE IN ONE OF THE SMALLER CAPITAL CITIES IN

EUROPE IS AMAZING.

NOT ONLY A LONG AND TURBULENT HISTORY ARE A REASON HEREFOR,

BUT ALSO A HUGE AMOUNT OF URBAN AREAS AND THEIR FUNCTION

HUGE AREAS OF THE INNER CIRCLE KEPT THEIR BEAUTIFUL AMBIENCE OF

COLOURS, LIGHT AND WHAT MANY PEOPLE CALL 'NEAT' OR 'SWEET' ARCHITECTURE

WITH THE ROWS RUNNING ALINE RIVERSIDE.

ALSO HUGE AND VERY BEAUTIFUL EVIDENCE OF WELL-KEPT HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE, LIKE

THE FORT ARE CREATING A SMOOTH AND INTERESTING MIXTURE WITH SURROUNDING GARDENS

AND CONVENTIONAL LIVING AREAS.

MODERN ARCHITECTURE IS AS PRESENT IN THE INNER CIRCLE OF THE CITY AND

ALSO IN THE AREA OF THE COMPETITION LIKE THE OPERA

WITH A NICE COMBINATION OF HARD SURFACES AND A SMOOTH BODY.

ESPECIALLY THE HALF-ISLAND IS A HUGE AREA CONTAINING FREE SPACES

TO BE DEVELOPED AND WORKING AS PUFFERS FOR EXPANSION NEXT TO THEIR FUNCTION AS

INDUSTRIAL STORAGE AND MANUFACTORY LIKE ALMOST ALL PORTS ON THIS PLANET.

IN TERM OF DEVELOPMENT OF THIS AREA THE SECOND VARIATION OF THE DESIGN PROVIDES

A DIRECT CONNECTION OF THE TWO RIVER-SIDES DIRECTLY NORTHERN SIDE OF THE BUILDING SITE

BY A NEW SUSPENSION BRIDGE WITH A 50 METER GATE AND A LENGHT OF ABOUT 550 METERS.

THE MAIN IDEA OF THE DESIGN DERIVES FROM THE SHAPE OF A DEPOT OF WOODEN BEAMS

AND PANELS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN TRANSPORTED OVERSEAS AND ORGANIZED ON THE SITE.

THE MAIN ASPECT HEREBY IS THE COMBINATION OF STRICT SURFACES AND THE HARD OFFSETS

OF SOME SHAPES ON VARIOUS LEVELS CONNECTED INSIDE THE SURFACE, CREATING A FLOW OF

SPACE AND LIGHT, WHICH IS NOT EXPECTED ON FIRST SIGHT FROM THE OUTSIDE.

SOME HARD CUBES ARE VISIBLE INSIDE AS WELL, DEFINING VARIOUS PURPOSES AND

SHOWING THE CONSTRUCTION AS WELL. THE MAJOR CHALLENGE OF THIS COMBINATION IS THE

STRUCTURE OF THE UPPER PARTS OF THE BUILDING, GOING TO EXTREMES BECAUSE OF OFFSETS

OF PARTICULAR OUTER DIMENSIONS. THESE OFFSETS ARE EMPHASIZED BY COLORED

FACADE-ELEMENTS EVEN OVERRUNNING THEM BY HELP OF FRAMES AND SPECIAL MATERIALS.