09 Jul 2020
Olafur Eliasson, Gehl and Sebastian Behmann team up to turn Copenhagen road into car-free city park
BY Tom Walker
A team of architects have revealed plans to transform a multi-lane road in central Copenhagen into a green and car-free city park.
The project will turn a famously congested passage to an inviting living space, where "nature is merged into the urban space".
The road will be replaced by trees, water, wildlife and illuminations, with the aim of creating a new recreation area in the middle of the Danish capital city.
As well as a place for tranquility and contemplation, there will be areas for a wide range of activities.
Architectural firm Gehl has partnered with Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson and architect Sebastian Behmann from Studio Other Spaces (SOS) for the 14,000sq m space.
"Covid-19 has emphasized the need for more breathing space in Copenhagen, and a new space of that kind may be on the way in the centre of Copenhagen," the team said in a statement.
The project has received the backing – and financial support – from a number of companies and organisations, which own the properties surrounding the new park.
These include Copenhagen's famous Tivoli theme park, the Danish Agriculture & Food Council, Confederation of Danish Industry, Danica Pensions, ATP Real Estate, PFA Pension and Industriens Pension.
The initiative also supports the City of Copenhagen's goal to turn the city into a green capital, as well as strengthen Copenhagen's position as the world's best cycling city.
“The City Park project in Copenhagen is a window into the future," said Olafur Eliasson.
"We want to shape it as an urban space that actively relates to the lives of people in change, where the division between work and private life is negotiated.
"A densely green urban space with recreational activities that support diversity and diversity; a space that creates unique sensations and experiences of air, sound and smell, of nature in the heart of Copenhagen.
"We want to give a human dimension back to the city; to create a park where the experience of time and tranquility, where meeting with others and the sense of community in the urban space emerges as a core value that defines Copenhagen, now and in the future."
The Lord Mayor of Copenhagen, Frank Jensen, added: “I'm super excited for the proposal. It is a great project and a great example of the creative, organic way we work to give space to people and to nature experiences right in the heart of our city.
"There are already several proposals in play in the area to create beautiful urban spaces with fewer cars. Of course, they must be seen in context, so that we do not risk, that all the bus traffic in the city is completely blocked. We are analyzing that right now - with green glasses and trees in the binoculars.”
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