Nørrebro Epicenter

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Nørrebro epicenter is a design proposal for area revitalization & sense of belonging in the Nørrebro district of Copenhagen.

Urban Design
Installation Design

Fall 2021
5 Weeks

Rhino
Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator
Procreate

Site profile

The open plot of land is located at Jagtvej 64 in Nørrebro .It is an empty area surrounded by a supermarket, restaurants, and a small school. There is a green park nearby but it is fenced off from the public.

Activity deadzone

Representation of individual paths people take across 30 minutes of observation. The center of the square is rarely used because it is empty and has nothing of use for pedestrians. The far right side of the site is blocked off to cars with concrete bollards.

Viewpoints

First person views of the site.

The center of the site is divided by a large dead end road. In front of the supermarket is a jumble of produce and bikes.

Large park blocked off by fencing. Empty concrete area in front of it.

Large expanses of concrete with few trees. There aren't any places to stop and sit.

Area is mostly used by pedestrians but they are confined to the sidewalks on the side.

Blocked off road.

What are the needs of the people who use the site?

Taken from on site interviews

Click here to see more demographic details

Specific insights

What possible changes are needed to improve the space?

Safety

Community

Greenery

Noise

Trees to provide
relaxing feel & shade

The sense of personal
investment & agency

Well lit spaces with
passive surveillance

A restful area away
from machinery

Stairs
- Opening access to park & greenery

Greenhouse
‍- For flexible use &
reason to care

Lighting
‍- Installations and better sightlines

Fountain
- To cover the noise
from the street

Reimagined site

1. Before

Currently the site is an empty place with little reason to sit, stay, or linger.

2. After

Introduction of greenhouse, fountain, lighting installation and stairs for access to greenery & expanded seating options.
Intended to make the space feel more personal and safe.

A flexible & lively area that allows for different activities for people.

A flexible & lively area that allows for different activities for people.

Lighting installation

This temporary installation was conceived as a playful way to visualize the concept of shared ownership & mutual influence in public spaces.

It also shows how the presence of different amounts of people can change the feel of a space.

What if lights could adjust based on how many people were below them?

Nørrebro is a district that contains a wide range of individuals, immigrants, & locals.

Perhaps having areas where different light colors mix could visualize commonality between different people/groups.

A series of large pendant lamps with adjustable beam widths.

Each colored pendant lamp has an adjustable width that changes based on the number of people underneath.

As more people stand underneath a lamp, the light beams widen & overlap with other nearby lamps.

Intention: A visualization of individual presence & the shared space in-between people.

Click here to view/hide light installation process

Idea 1. A mirrored forest

My initial idea was to create a "mirrored forest" with grass in the middle of the empty area between the sidewalks.
Response to a major user complaint of lack of green space. I thought this would give a reason for people to visit and would be a nice place for picnics during nice weather.

Eventually this idea was dropped because I decided opening up the walled off park nearby for green space would be adequate.

Idea 2. Tracking lights


Another idea was to add lighting that tracked people as they moved, similar to dancers on a stage. I thought this would be a playful way to increase the sense of safety & maybe encourage impromptu interactions between strangers.

Idea 3. Hanging lights + raised grass pavilion


This idea evolved on the spotlight concept with more simplification because making lights that tracked people might be overly complicated for the site. This idea involved using light to create "zones" of activity with terraced levels of grass for greenery & seating. However it seemed a bit too "heavy" and non mobile.

Idea 4. Adjustable lights - powered by people


Final idea - Chosen because it seemed like the most discreet and natural, the space can be used as a flex space during the day with movable seating. During the evening the lights will come on & add value to the space as people pass through or visit.

Greenhouses

The greenhouses are for community building with the aim to attract people into the site.

The larger greenhouse contains:
Plants, a small kitchen, & a coffee bar with small outdoor patio.

The smaller greenhouse contains:
Plants & space for pop-up shops that are intended to attract passerby.

Large greenhouse

A center for community gathering and spontaneous interactions, with a patio outside.

Small greenhouse

Contains plants & hosts rotating pop up shops intended to draw the attention of passerby.

Collages

A vision of the future.

Plaza entrance

The entrance of the site has two greenhouses for growing plants & communal activities with a clear view through the plaza.

Plaza entrance - Before

The people who use the space the most are pedestrians but the dead end car road took up too much space.

View towards second greenhouse & park

View towards opened up park with two wooden seating areas with green space & smaller greenhouse for pop ups.

View towards second greenhouse & park - Before

No seating with fenced off greenery & park behind it.

Park view

The reimagined park entrance removes the wooden fence blocking off vision & inserts wide steps for people to sit on.

Park view

Greenery exists but the fencing makes it feel very unwelcoming and a bit neglected.

Bike lane passing through the square

Originally a few bikers would pass through using the empty street meant for cars.
Now the bike path is moved to the side freeing up central space for pedestrians who use the space more than bikers.

Bike lane passing through the square

The car road used to take up most of the square's space.
Bikers would occasionally use the road since it was so empty,

Central plaza

The central plaza contains a water fountain with seating and a flex use public installation area behind it.

Central plaza - Before

An empty blocked off road with small pedestrian paths on the side.

Flex use / Public installation area

The public installation area contains grass and movable wooden seating with steps leading up to a raised area behind it.
At night the lights turn on & installation becomes active.

Site profile

The open plot of land is located at Jagtvej 64 in Nørrebro .It is an empty area surrounded by a supermarket, restaurants, and a small school. There is a green park nearby but it is fenced off from the public.

Installation arrangement 1

The seating in the installation area can be moved rearranged according to the needs of the space. To the right are steps that people can sit on.
This is a long arrangement that frees up space on the sides.

Installation arrangement 1 - Night

Night time view of the installation area.
Starting at the evening, the lighting installation switches on.

Installation arrangement 1 - Before

Before the space didn't support any kind of meaningful activities besides commuting through the space.
There was a raised brick platform to the right but it was mostly empty and unused.

Installation arrangement 2

This seating arrangement is more freeform and allows people to move the seats however they want.
For flexible accommodation of both groups and individuals.

Installation arrangement 2 - Night

Night time view of the installation area.
Starting at the evening, the lighting installation switches on.

Installation arrangement 2 - Before

Before the space didn't support any kind of meaningful activities besides commuting through the space.
There was a raised brick platform to the right but it was mostly empty and unused.

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