Lundtoftegadekvarteret, København N
2019 - 2023
A common pioneer project
Cobuilding dreams
The Urbania Association has been searching for a suitable building site since 2010 with the dream of constructing a sustainable residential community no more than 5 km from City Hall Square in Copenhagen. In 2017, the association decided to become part of a public housing company and entered into a partnership with AKB Copenhagen, which owns the plot located on the corner of Lundtoftegade and Borups Allé in outer Nørrebro.
Marking the corner and supporting the streets Lundtoftegade’s large scale and layout are clear landmarks in the urban landscape. The culmination of this urban feature is currently a one-story store facing Borups Square, which feels more like an afterthought than a building that completes and defines the urban space. Therefore, the placement of Urbania calls for the building to embrace the movement along Lundtoftegade and define the tip towards Borups Allé. This feature creates a pocket between the new and old buildings in Lundtoftegade South, providing excellent opportunities for gathering and relaxation. In the long term, the green space can be integrated with the potential for a closer connection to a future green urban space under Bispeengbuen.
Urbania defines the edges of Borups Square, Borups Allé, and Lundtoftegade. This enhances the qualities of all these places by providing them with a building structure to interact with. At the same time, all the edges face relatively busy and partly noisy traffic routes. To bring life to the street spaces while shielding the residences, a podium with shared facilities and public-oriented service establishments will be built, upon which residential towers are placed. Thus, residential units on the ground floor are avoided, and the streets are enlivened with open ground floors and activities.
Area seen from above. Area marked with af white line.
Photo: Styrelsen for Dataforsyning and Infrastruktur og Danske Kommuner, 2021.
A distinctive culmination at the corner of Borups Allé and Lundtoftegade.
Urbania serves as an example of a new construction in accordance with the local plan
The local plan area is located in the Nørrebro district and concludes AKB Copenhagen’s development (Lundtoftegade Department) towards Borups Square. Currently, on the site, there is an older grocery store and a single-story equipment yard. The southern part of the local plan area also includes green spaces with recreational facilities and the Aftensol nursing home. In the northern part of the local plan area, there are existing residential buildings, a community center, commercial spaces, and green areas with recreational amenities.
The village within the city
At each end of Urbania, the structure opens up, welcoming the city through two landscaped staircases leading to Borups Square and the sports field. Here, people are invited into Urbania’s semi-public communal spaces, with an invitation to be a part of the city and contribute to it. Within the podium, there is a more intimate scale with a meandering pathway, smaller seating areas, greenery, favorable wind and noise conditions, and glimpses into the communal houses of the residential clusters.
A vibrant ground floor
At the bottom of Urbania, spaces are allocated for functions that contribute to the city. These include a grocery store, small businesses, a swap shop, a communal kitchen, a playroom, a workshop, a dining hall, and more. Urbania aims to be integrated into the city, and as such, the facades open up with large glass sections, providing glimpses into the communal hub. The shops are strategically located facing Borups Square, supporting the area as a local shopping district.
An area under development
It is a generally evolving area where efforts are being made to explore the possibilities of demolishing half of the Bispeengbuen bridge to create more green urban spaces in the area.
Scale of community
The residents of Urbania want to share their everyday lives with the people of Copenhagen. With such a large community, it becomes necessary to divide it into smaller, more manageable parts, so that one does not have to constantly engage with everyone all the time. Therefore, the residential community is divided into five smaller groups, each sharing a common staircase and a smaller communal house. Additionally, all housing groups share the larger communal spaces on the ground floor, as well as rooftop terraces and the landscaped areas of the podium. At each end of the building, the structure opens up, welcoming the city with two landscaped staircases leading to Borups Square and the sports field. Here, people are invited into Urbania's semi-public communal spaces, with an invitation to be a part of the city and contribute to it. Within the podium, there is a more intimate scale with a meandering pathway, smaller seating areas, greenery, favorable wind and noise conditions, and glimpses into the communal houses of the housing groups.
Project facts
Facts
Project name: Cohousing for Urbania
Category:Co-Housing, Housing, Landscape, Planning
Client: Foreningen Urbania, AKB København / KAB
Location: Lundtoftegadekvarteret, København N
Gross area: 8.650 m²
Date: 2019 - 2023
Status: Local plan proposal
Number of units: 120 housing units, 1 grocery store
Project
Program: Local plan for densification of the Lundtoftegade neighborhood with a residential community for Urbania.
Activity: Advisory and process management services for the development of the local plan, feasibility studies, and verification of the housing project.
Job type: Contract won through a framework agreement with KAB.
Contact: Rikke Møller Andersen, rma@vandkunst.dk
Project group: Rikke Møller Andersen, Daniel Rea Kragskov, Camilla Libonati
Employees: Nick Dyhr
Team
Architect: Tegnestuen Vandkunsten
Landscape: Tegnestuen Vandkunsten
Engineer: Artelia, Brandgruppen