This thesis takes interest in the near future at Refshaleøen and the uncertain plans for the district which open up questions on the development of Copenhagen. Should design respond to market forces or should it rather facilitate urban life? Does a balance in-between exist?

The concern around which the project is developed is the growth and gentrification of Refshaleøen for economic gain and the subsequent dismissal of the site’s history and present urban life. The past decade is testament to how temporary typologies have greatly benefited the city, and Refshaleøen has become a new catalyst for Copenhagen’s creative and artistic life.
The project seeks to explore the challenges and the potentials of the site by combining and overlaying programs and typologies which could benefit both the temporary and permanent structures that are at stake.

The thesis explores new methods of urban development with particular emphasis on creating an architectural whole that enters into dialogue with both the city and the industrial past of Refshaleøen. The “good city” is a place that is able to span across traditional ‘mechanistic’ divisions to create efficient and sustainable conditions for both people and future developments. People must not only have something nice to look at, but must also have something to do, something to live on, and something to build on.

The project aims to create a dynamic and inviting urban cultural hub that promotes innovation and knowledge sharing by bringing leisure, events, crafts, research, and professions close together. Copenhagen’s new cultural hub will form a new living waterfront that activates the area around the dock with daily and varied use.

The project was developed at the Aarhus School of Architecture.

KOOZ What prompted the project?

AF The project arose in response to the uncertainty surrounding the future of Refshaleøen in Copenhagen and raised the question of how we should develop our future cities? The building proposal has been developed on a wide range of scales, as it has been my ambition to create a project that challenges the methods architects use today in their work with urban areas. In Copenhagen’s Municipal Plan from 2015, a number of areas are designated where future urban development will take place. Most of the major urban development areas show that Copenhagen is still in the process of transforming from an industrial city to a city of knowledge. Old, dilapidated industrial- and port areas are being transformed into attractive residential regions to attract resourceful residents.

Copenhagen is continuously evolving with new large districts that facilitate migration to the city. Old industrial districts have been transformed into new attractive neighborhoods. The discussion is whether these areas have been designed to benefit the developers and for the wealthy people in society, or if the visions of these areas first met the realities of the market forces when the district was completed. As architects and developers of the city, we have to look at the reality of our design and learn from it. What have we learned from Sydhavn, Nordhavn, Carlsbergbyen, Ørestad, Islands Brygge, etc., and how do these new areas “act” in the city? The different districts have evolved with both positive and negative aspects of urban life but there is a tendency that the areas mostly are developed to benefit the financial market, which causes urban life to be neglected.

KOOZ What questions does the project raise and which does it address?

AF Our cities are constantly evolving. The challenge with urban development lies in the fact that these areas are owned by private investors who have the agenda to earn as much as possible, and where square meters can have a greater influence than the architectural value.
In this project, the way we develop urban areas is challenged. Refshaleøen is one of the next major urban development areas in the city. The area consists of a strong industrial history, which is important for the district’s atmosphere. Through cooperation, new and old districts can be developed together into attractive areas, which both relate to the market forces and to facilitate urban life.

The aim of the project has been to rethink the transformation of the old industrial area at Refshaleøen. The project unfolds in different scales, from urban investigations to building design, both in terms of program and building typologies. Furthermore, the project desires to rethink the development of the old industrial island, working with both temporary and permanent structures to accommodate the city’s urgent needs. This meeting fosters unforeseen architectural qualities and spatial experiences that serve both the city and its inhabitants. By tracing back the history and present programs at Refshaleøen, the aim is to design a new building typology for the island’s future. Taking into consideration both market forces and urban life, the desire of this thesis is to design a building typology enabling the district to contain both.

This project doesn’t propose a new master plan for the island, but will instead use some of the methods of urban planning to analyze and understand the dynamics of the site. This has been the framework both structurally and strategically, to find the location and the program of the new building design. The argument is that the new building program should arrive from the research and investigation of the site, to accommodate the needs for the future development of Refshaleøen.

KOOZ How and to what extent has the current pandemic affected the way we design at a masterplan scale?

AF The current pandemic has made people more aware of their own city. In the last decades, travel has been one of the greatest values to many, but the pandemic has changed the way we view and use our own city. This means people have been able to explore their own city with new eyes and give greater attention to the qualities that are within these urban areas. This has made urban planning more attractive than ever before. We must look at our cities and develop them into attractive areas for both private and public life, in order to create cities with greater dynamics and diversity. Furthermore I think the pandemic has shown how quickly human beings adapt to new situations and find new ways to meet and socialize. As architects we should learn from this period in history and use it as a stepping-stone to change the way we design our cities.

KOOZ How can we plan for a more resilient and community driven city?

AF Our cities have changed radically in recent decades and will continue to change in the future. The project explores how we have used the city in the past. Through the study of human behavior over history, the program for a new building typology has evolved. In order to create a more resilient and community driven city, one needs to design for change. The user must have the opportunity to create new meetings and activities within a given framework to establish an attractive identity, which gives both the user and the visitor a sense of belonging to the place.

KOOZ What role can cultural hubs play in the development of cities today?

AF Cultural hubs can become catalysts in a new urban area for both urban life and social manifestations. By using the cultural hub as the first step in a master plan, life is created in a given area, which will help to create greater quality and a stronger identity for a new district. It is important to create buildings that relate to the city’s inhabitants.

KOOZ What is for you the power of the architectural imagination?

AF The power of the architectural imagination is for me the most important tool when thinking about shaping society and people and with this creates urban spaces for inspiration and fascination. In the project it has been essential to create a framework that allows people to interact with each other and with the building itself. This provides a building that can change form, shape and program in the future, and will be able to adapt for new generations to come.