Float
Urban design & Architecture
Urban design & Architecture
Poetic research on Copenhagen’s growth.
Cities are in constant metamorphosis.
The pieces connected one by one, like a chain made out of different atmospheres. A certain continuity is thus achieved through the unity of spacial fragments, revealing a succession of unique environments founded on the same global space.
KADK, 2014
The world’s population has doubled to more than 7 billion in the past 50 years and today, about half of it lives in urban areas. While cities like New York and London have seen their growth slowed down after the 1900s, other cities like Copenhagen are still growing significantly. Copenhagen’s population is expected to grow by 100 000 people in the period to 2025.
This chalenge is doubled by the current climate change and more particularly by the water rising. Denmark and Copenhagen area are expected to be particularly concerned because of their flat land. The best estimate is between 0.3m and 0.6m within this century.
However, these numbers are uncertain and there is a risk that rises will be more intense.This situation is challenging the way we live nowadays.
City organisation
The first step is the analyse of these cities in constant metamorphosis. Made out of pieces connected one by one, cities are like chains made of different atmospheres. Respecting the principles of the holism, a certain continuity is achieve through the unity of spacial fragments, revealing a succession of unique environments founded on the same global space.
In the Øresund area, linking Denmark and Sweden, this situation is seen as an opportunity to consider water as a new land. Without fighting against these metamorphosis but by developing a way to make the most of them, cities could become places that follow societal change. A city developed with a floating system has the opportunity of growing and reconfiguring itself as people are evolving.
Scenario
Copenhagen is now organised as a center surrounded by districts. By 2050 the city will reach the number of people that Berlin or Paris
host at the moment ; its structure will then probably evolve to become closer to thess megalopolis’ districts organisation : a number of discrete but yet interconnected and equal districts. The scenario proposes to see this evolution continuing on the water by adding new districts that will develop their own new particularities. At the scale of Øresund area, this growth on the water could begin from the biggest cities and become large enough to create cities-bridges. In constant metamorphosis, the cities could reorganised themselves in one unique floating entity linking Danemark and Sweden creating a unique geopolitic situation.
Structure / Infrastructure
In a district, the train station is the anchor. The public buildings are independent, connected to the other parts with bridges that have all the same structures - allowing them to be connected to any parts. The private areas are organised around a harbour which is connected to circles of private floating houses.
Organisation that can grow easily thanks to its circular shape.
The infrastructure that connects the city parts is a structure which allows the movement. It is composed with floating modules that can be added or removed.
Light and delicate atmosphere.
