A New Square in Denmark Features Man-Made Hills for Bike Parking
Danish architectural firm COBE has won a bid to design a new public square on the campus of the University of Copenhagen in Amager (KUA). Nestled between newly constructed academic buildings and Amager Fælled nature reserve, the new plaza will be a hybrid between an urban square and a park.
On the campus side of the square, white pavers will form a large meeting place. On the other side, the pavement will taper off into narrow trails that wind through patches of grass. The central public spaces will be framed by three gentle man-made hills on which pedestrians are invited to walk or sit.
COBE has also made room for 2,070 bike stalls, cleverly nestled under the smooth, round hills. The stalls remove the chaotic clusters of bicycles found in many public areas in Denmark, allowing the square’s simple and open aesthetics to prevail. At just over 200,000 square feet, the new plaza at KUA will be one of Copenhagen’s largest public spaces. It is set to open in 2017.
*For more information visit cobe.dk. *