URBAN NATURE - THE INHABITABLE EDGE THESIS PROGRAM STEPHANIE BRACONNIER stud4532, afd. 11 15-02-11 Supervised by Merete Ahnfeldt-Mollerup
SORTEDAMS SØ
PEBLINGE SØ
SANKT JORGENS SØ
CONTENTS Introduction 5 The Existing Site 7 Thesis Statement 13 Framing the Issues 15 The Questions 23 Scope 23 Precedents + Inspiration 24 Schedule 26 Deliverables 29 Resources 30 CV + Previous Projects 32
3
GROW HERE
STOP HERE
LOOK THERE
SIT HERE
WALK THERE CONSTRAINED NATURE: Everyone must follow the rules...
INTRODUCTION The City Lakes--Sankt Jørgens Sø, Peblinge Sø, and Sortedams Sø--are a popular recreational area for Copenhageners with a unique natural potential in the midst of a dense urban centre. The function of the City Lakes has changed throughout history, ranging from powering industrial water mills to protection and fortification. Since Copenhagen grew beyond its medieval ramparts, the City Lakes have predominantly come to symbolize leisure, relaxation, and nature. The city’s long-term vision for the lakes is that they will eventually be used for swimming and fishing, a vision that fits with Copenhagen’s green reputation. But something about this ‘urban nature’ is unsatisfying. When given a choice of urban public spaces, Copenhageners listed the city lakes as the last place at which they choose to spend time. The lakes are perceived as a meeting point or as a scenic route from one place to another, but not as great urban space in themselves. Though the lakes embody a rich history, the relationship between the user and the water is rooted in a classicist view of nature as something to be bridled and controlled. The lakes and their edges are biologically unproductive and homogeneous, not functioning as freshwater lakes should. The contact with nature is therefore superficial, and in the meantime Copenhageners find their connection with ‘real nature’ elsewhere. At the same time, the edges of the lakes should be vital urban spaces in the city, but they are optimized neither for circulation nor inhabitation. Serving neither nature nor people in a significant way, the edges slowly deteriorate in meaning as our demands on public space change. HOW CAN URBAN PUBLIC SPACE BE COMBINED WITH A PRODUCTIVE AND SELF-SUSTAINING NATURALIZED EDGE TO CREATE A NEW MEANING OF NATURE IN THE CITY?
5
COPENHAGEN 1723: City lakes area is dammed for use as water reservoir and defense strategy
INTAKE FROM UTTERSLEV MOSE & EMDRUP SØ
Sortedams Sø
N
Peblinge Sø
OUTFLOW TO ØRSTEDSPARKEN, BOTANIC GARDENS, AND ØSTER ANLÆG.
Sankt Jørgens Sø
WATER FLOW: Intake/outtake from the piped streams, through the lakes, and eventually out to Øresund Strait
TITLE THE EXISTING SITE Subtitle HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT Body textlakes composed here. in the early Middle Ages because of the need for powering watermills, and in 1523 The city were dammed were expanded to improve the fortifications of the city. All of the lakes have, at some point, served as freshwater reservoirs for the city, with Sankt Jørgens Sø being the most recent and ending its function as an emergency water supply in 1959. The paths and vertical slopes surrounding the lakes were implemented by the city architect Poul Helsøe in 1929. This established the area as a recreational promenade and it has kept this function until the present. The city lakes came under preservation in 1966 after a proposed motorway that was to be built threatened the public nature of the lakes. THE WATER CYCLE The three lakes are divided into 5 basins, with the source water flowing from underground piped streams (Grøndalsåen, Lygteåen and Ladegårdsåen). These streams come from Utterslev Mose, Emdrup Sø, and Damhussøen. This water enters the lakes at Peblinge Sø, circulates within the 5 basins for approximately one year, and finally is directed to Østre Anlæg, the Kastellet entrenchments, and further into Øresund Strait. LAKE ECOLOGY The lakes do not serve as a storm-water reservoir, and so do not directly receive pollutants from urban run-off. The water that comes from Emdrup Sø is treated before it enters the lakes. The water quality is tested by Copenhagen Kommune every month for ‘normal water chemistry’ (nutrients such as chlorophyll, phosphorus, and nitrogen). The lakes underwent a cleansing and restoration using biomanipulation from 2002-2006 and since then the water quality and biodiversity has increased greatly. The water quality is unstable, however, and requires constant monitoring and regular harvesting of plants (e.g., macrophytes) to keep the nutrient levels from becoming excessive. After the remediation the city removed tonnes of ‘trash fish’ from the lakes and restocked them with pescivorous fish such as pike. This helps to maintain a balanced diversity, but ecologists involved in the experiment have expressed concern that the lakes lack nursery zones along the edges and fear that the pike population will not be feasible in the long run without these shallow, natural lake edges.
7
REMEDIATION AND LAKE ECOLOGY
SORTEDAMS SØ
PEBLINGE SØ
SANKT JORGENS SØ
1954: Sankt Jørgens Sø was still serving as an emergency water reservoir.
2001: Prior to the remediation. Peblinge and Sortedam Lakes are visibly cloudy compared to Sankt Jørgens Sø, which retains natural edges.
2009: After the
FISH SPECIES PRESENT IN THE CITY LAKES
Pike Ruffe
Perch Rudd
9
Eel
Tench
Crussian Carp
Bream Roach
After the remediation from 2002-2006. The water is much clearer.
PEBLINGE SØ, 1930’s and 2011: Conditions remain much the same
TRANSITIONS: Over and under traffic intersections
THE EXISTING SITE SEATING & LIGHTING The Copenhagen Bench is the primary seating in all public areas in Copenhagen, and it lines the city lakes as well. The Copenhagen Bench was designed and first produced in the 1880’s and is made of cast iron and wooden planks, painted a standard dark green. The lines of the bench are said to be inspired by natural forms. These benches provide rest stops along the paths but do not encourage long-term visits. There is no official lighting strategy for the city lakes, though there are some light fixtures along the western edges and on the corners of Dronning Louises Bro. The Center for Parks and Nature gives 3 reasons for this inconsistent lighting: 1. Lighting could adversely affect the wildlife 2. People appreciate having a dark place to come in the city 3. The light from nearby streetlamps is sufficient to light the paths It seems evident, however, that the lack of lighting discourages the public use of the city lakes after dark. PATHS & ACCESSIBILITY The paths are used for walking, running, and biking and primarily serve as transportation corridors. Cycling was legalized on the paths in 2009 but no infrastructural changes were made to accomodate the new role. This has led to a confusion over who has the ‘right of way’, since cyclists and pedestrians share the same space. The lower path is directly next to the water, and is surfaced with a composite of gravel and compacted sand. The upper paths are often paved with asphalt, though sometimes granite paving stones are used. The Center for Parks and Nature often receives complaints about the inaccessibility of the paths to wheelchair users and babystrollers because of the materials and slopes. The upper and lower paths are connected at certain points with staircases and, infrequently, ramps. There are tunnels underneath Fredensbro and Dronning Louises Bro but not at Åboulevard, where pedestrians and cyclists are confronted with a disjointed and confusing intersection.
11
VISION: The Lakes as productive, naturalized edge
THESIS STATEMENT Cities are the primary habitat of modern people, but it is through nature that we make our urban environment more tolerable. The artificially created city lakes have historically represented nature as ‘urban decoration,’ where trees, plants, and fish survive at the pleasure of their caretakers. Our perception of urban nature is changing, however, and the city lakes in Copenhagen become more than an opportunity to enjoy light, calm, and openness--a sort of mental ‘green space’-- in a dense urban centre. Along with that they also have the potential to become ecologically self-sustaining and productive, a place just as much for wildlife as it is for people. With this revised role comes a new connection to be mediated and a new relationship to explore. The threshold between city and nature is blurred. A new public space emerges where nature re-establishes its position and we experience a simultaneous feeling of expansiveness and seclusion. This is urban nature - the inhabitable edge.
13
THE CITY LAKES: A place to walk and bike, but not to stay.
FRAMING THE ISSUES LACK OF INHABITABLE PUBLIC SPACE The city lakes represent a connection to nature in the centre of the city, yet they have few truly public staying places along the water edge. There are cafes, restaurants, and pubs--at the Søpavilion for example--but these come with a commercial obligation to use the space. The paths are the only truly public zones of the city lakes, and these are designed for passing through, not inhabitation. The specific problems related to the current edges are: a. DISJOINTED & INACCESSIBLE PATHS - The edges of the lakes have paths for strolling and biking, but cyclists often end up weaving through runners and walkers because the paths are marked only by painted lines. Where the lakes are intersected by streets, the path is not always continued in a coherent way. There are two tunnels on the west side of the lakes, but at Åboulevard the biking/walking path gets cut off with no direction as to how and where the path continues. b. ANTI-SOCIAL SEATING - There are numerous benches lining the city lakes, but they offer the same forwardfacing view along the length of the water. The benches can accomodate 2 or 3 people at a time, and make a statement as ‘rest stops’ rather than ‘staying places.’ The seating offers an expansive view of the city, but does not provide the sense of seclusion and concentration that is often felt in nature or the social possibilities of other urban spaces. c. UNMEDIATED TRANSITIONS - The transition between residential housing blocks or large streets and the lakes is abrupt and presents an uncomfortable confrontation between residents, traffic, and public space. The border of private space means that the edge becomes a place to pass through rather than a space to stay and enjoy. d. DARK ZONES - The edges of the lakes are inconsistently lit along the western side, and completely unlit on the eastern side. The lack of lighting indicates that this is not a place to go after dark, and as such it has a lifeless character at night. Other potential issues: Boring, repetitive view.
15
DISJOINTED PATHS: Separate paths are not consistent and sometimes pedestrians share the road with bikers and cars
ANTI-SOCIAL SEATING: The view and social possibilities are dictated by the position of the benches
HARD EDGES: Impervious edges blunt the transition from land to water and prevent fish biodiversity
DARK ZONES: Lighting along the lakes is limited, inconsistent, and dim.
“ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WE DISCOVERED WAS THAT THE LAKES PEBLING AND SORTEDAMS BOTH LACK NURSERY AREAS FOR THE PIKE FRY, WHICH NEEDS VERY SHALLOW (10-20cm) WATER WITH COVER OF MACROPHYTES... WITHOUT THIS KIND OF HABITAT, THEY ARE EATEN BY THEIR SISTERS OR BROTHERS OR BY OTHER PREDATORS LIKE PERCH.” Christian Skov and Søren Berg, Department of Inland Fisheries, Institute of Aquatic Resources Technical University of Denmark
HABITAT RESTORATION: Fish ecologists say that without more of these ‘littoral’ zones in the lakes, the pescivorous fish population will not survive.
Title of Caption: text EDGE Body CONDITIONS: The constructed edges of Peblinge and Sortedams Sø compared to a typical freshwater littoral edge
FRAMING THE ISSUES UNSTABLE LAKE ECOLOGY From 2002-2006 the city lakes underwent a large remediation project financed by the City of Copenhagen costing approximately 12-13 million kroner. This remediation included the purification of source water, biomanipulation, and the stocking of fish. The main objectives of the remediation project wer to improve the environmental quality of the water and to create more natural (i.e., less anthropogenic) lake conditions. Since then the quality of the water and the biodiversity have improved greatly. But the lakes are still considered environmentally fragile, as they require constant attention and maintenance to retain water clarity and quality. Copenhagen Kommune envisions the city lakes as a fresh water natural environment where in the future people will be able to swim and fish. Before this vision can be realised, however, the lakes need to present a stable, selfsustaining ecology. The main problems preventing this are: a. NUTRIENTS ENTERING THE WATER SYSTEM - Phosphorous and Nitrogen are important to healthy water, but in excess cause cloudy water, algal blooms, and harm aquatic life. Excessive nutrients cause eutrophic (i.e., oxygen poor) conditions and decreased biodiversity. b. SEDIMENT-DISTURBING FISH (‘TRASH FISH’) - bream, roach, tench, and crucian carp thrive in turbid waters and tend to bottomfeed, meaning that they disturb sediment and cause water to become cloudy. When water is cloudy, sunlight cannot reach the bottom and this results in a loss of biodiversity. These fish can be kept in check when their food supply (algae) is removed, or when pescivorous fish prey on them. c. LACK OF ‘LITTORAL’ ZONES FOR BREEDING/SPAWNING PESCIVOROUS FISH - A Littoral zone is the landwater interface and shallow areas outside the interface. In healthy natural lakes the minimum water depth is between 2-5cm and the edges slope gently, creating a shallow zone where fish can spawn and grow without risk of being preyed upon by other fish. These zones are also good for toads and frogs, which are threatened due to loss of inhabitable edges. The three largest basins of Peblinge Sø and Sortedams Sø have hard and relatively deep edges (30-50cm depending on water level) which differ greatly from Sankt Jørgens Sø, which has an edge resembling a more natural water system. WITHOUT THESE NATURALIZED EDGES, THE CITY LAKES CANNOT SUSTAIN THEIR PESCIVOROUS FISH POPULATION, WHICH HAS NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES ON THE FRESH WATER ECOSYSTEM.
19
VISIBLE GARBAGE: The clarity of the lakes means it’s easier to see trash that accumulates at the edges--and this gives the wrong impression
FRAMING THE ISSUES PUBLIC PERCEPTION AND INTERACTION The city lakes have much clearer water now then they did 10 years ago, but because of this the amount of garbage dumped along the water edge is more evident. The public perception of the lakes is that they are unclean and this propagates a cycle of continual littering into the water. The situation at Sankt Jørgens Sø is much different from the other two lakes, however. There, where the edges are more naturalized and the transition from water to land is mediated with plants, people hesitate to litter. A shallow water zone with a soft connection to the land where plants, fish, and other life can abound, reminds people to respect the water as a living organism. All the lakes have the potential to become verdant growth areas and this can change the relationship from apathy to one of mutual symbiosis. Once the edge comes alive there is also the potential for urban forage--where city inhabitants can use the plants growing naturally as part of the local food system.
21
AREA OF FOCUS: A typical edge section on the western side of the City Lakes
QUESTIONS > How to mediate the transition from urban to natural? > How to provide flexible and interesting public space both on land and water? > How to create a robust public space that can be adapted to different contexts? > How to activate interest and interaction with urban nature?
SCOPE When nature in the city is perceived as something to be controlled, framed, and passively enjoyed--like a picture in a gallery--the result is a superficial and unstable relationship. The current edges of the lakes represent the idea of nature as a distinct entity that should follow the same rules as the buildings--with a straight, hard edge that does not accomodate the natural growth that typically occurs in a freshwater ecosystem. My project will consider schematic solutions for some of the large-scale issues--a new path system and lighting--but will primarily focus on the transition of the built edge to the water in a specific area. In this way a PROTOTYPICAL EDGE CONDITION will be developed where transitions between the inhabitable edge and the living edge are mediated through materials and plantings. I will focus on creating a more conscious transition from the urban environment to the natural environment by considering specific thresholds such as PUBLIC PRIVATE CONSTRUCTED NATURAL PASSIVE INTERACTIVE HARD SOFT STATIC DYNAMIC The goals for this focus area are to > PROVIDE A MORE NATURALIZED EDGE to restore diversity and support the stability of the lake ecology; > SOFTEN THE TRANSITION between the constructed and natural edge through plantings and materials; > CREATE A CONNECTION to urban food systems (e.g., foraging) and explore the potential to activate the surrounding commerce through a more productive edge; and > DEVELOP A CONTEXT-SENSITIVE DESIGN SEQUENCE that can be applied to different sections of the lakes to produce good public space.
23
PRECEDENTS & INSPIRATION
GROWING IN: Urban Park, Manuel Ruisanchez, Perello-Girona SP
URBAN NATURE: Plaza del Desierto, Eduardo Arroyo/NO.MAD, Barakaldo SP
PERMEABLE PAVINGS: Crack Garden, CMG Landscape Arch., San Francisco
CONTEXT-AWARE DESIGN: Westergasfabriek, Kathryn Gustafson, Amsterdam NL
MATERIAL TRANSITIONS: Calafato Footpaths, Manuel Ruisanchez, Tarragona SP
NATURE + DESIGN: ULAP Square, Rehwaldt Landschaftsarchitekten, Berlin DE
INHABITABLE EDGES: Microcostas, Guallart Architects, Vinaros SP
SOCIAL SEATING: Pedestrian Zone, AllesWirdGut, Innichen IT
PROGRAM, RESEARCH, SITE ANALYSIS
Program Writing Interviews Visit City Archives Design Precedents
WEEK 5 FEBRUARY
JAN
WEEK 4
Base Drawings Site specific research
WEEK 6 Revise Program Site analysis Contextual research
Important Dates 1 - Program Submitted (pdf) 4 - Supervisor Feedback 7 - Revised Program (pdf) 11 - Program Approval 15 - Final Program (print x7)
WEEK 7
WEEK 8
Summarize analysis Seek relationships
Develop Sequences Site Strategies
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT WEEK 9
MARCH
Study Trip (Time Variable)
Important Dates
City Scale - 1:5000-1:500 WEEK 10 WEEK 11 Schematic Strategies Natural Edges General Lighting Production Potential
18 - Mid Term Critique 1
Street Scale - 1:250-1:50 WEEK 12 WEEK 13 Focus on specific site Thresholds Spacial Transitions
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
WEEK 17
Detail Materials Seating Lighting
WEEK 18 Important Dates 29 - Mid Term Critique 2 MAY
APRIL
WEEK 14 Material transitions Spacial relationships Edge Interaction
Detail Scale - 1:20-1:10 WEEK 15 WEEK 16
Final models, drawings, renderings, collages. Presentation Layout Test Prints
FINAL DRAWINGS + MODELS, PRESENTATION
Final models, drawings, renderings, collages. Presentation Layout Test Prints
Important Dates 18 - Print Test 20 - Print Presentation 24 - Submission of Thesis
WEEK 20
WEEK 21 Prepare digital presentation
WEEK 22 JUNE
MAY
WEEK 19
Thesis Presentation
WEEK 22
PRESENTATION PLAN
DELIVERABLES The following drawings and models will be necessary to present a coherent understanding of my thesis project: > Site Plan showing overall strategies, 1:5000 > Site Plan showing prototypical edge focus area: 1:100 > Long W-E section showing specific transitions and inhabitation: 1:10 or 1:20 > Large visualizations of the focus area in different situations (seasons, time of day): A3/A2 > Visual of the design sequence applied to different sections of the lakes: 1:100 > Materials and details: 1:10 > Diagrams and analysis as required > Vision collages > Relevant sketch models and process drawings > Digital presentation showing research, analysis, and design progression.
31
RESOURCES > BOOKS Arpa, Javier, and Aurora Fernandez Per. The Public Chance: New Urban Landscapes. Vitoria-Gaseiz: A + T. 2008. Alexander, Christopher. The Process of Creating Life. Berkeley: The Environmental Center for Structure. 2001. Berger, Alan. Systemic Design can Change the World. Amsterdam: Sun Architecture. 2009. Fox, Howard, and Heather Moore. Restoration and Recovery: Regenerating Land and Communities. Caithness: Whittles Publishing. 2010. Lasserre, Olivier. Planting Patterns: From the Air. Rhein: RvR Agentur & Verlagsgesellschaft mbH. 2005. Littlewood, Michael. Landscape Detailing Volume 2: Surfaces. London: Architectural Press. 1993. Littlewood, Michael. Landscape Detailing Volume 4: Water. London: Architectural Press. 2001. Marsh, William M. Landscape Planning: Environmental Applications. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 2010. McLeod, Virginia. Detail in Contemporary Landscape Architecture. London: Laurence King Publishing. 2008. Schillaci, Fabio. Architectural Renderings: Construction and Design Manual. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 2010. Schmal, Peter Cachola, and Annette Becker, editors. Urban Green: European Landscape Design for the 21st Century. Basel: Birkhauser. 2010. Strom, Steven et. al. Site Engineering for Landscape Architects. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 2009. Zimmermann, Astrid. Constructing Landscape: Materials, Techniques, Structural Components. Basel: Birkhauser. 2010.
RESOURCES > INTERVIEWS Nordskov, Peter. Center for Parks and Nature, Copenhagen Kommune. Face to face interview. January 21, 2011. Valerius, Charlotte. Kulturarvsstyrelsen. Email interview. January 25, 2011 Pedersen, Jan. Danish Nature Conservation Society. Email interview. January 25, 2011. Gervin, Lisbeth. Center for Parks and Nature, Copenhagen Kommune. Email interview. January 19, 2011. Trapp, Stefan. Department of Environmental Engineering, DTU. Email interview. January 18, 2011. Ingvertsen, Simon Toft. Department of Agriculture & Ecology, DTU. Email interview. January 19, 2011. Berg, Søren, and Christian Skov. Department of Inland Fisheries, Institute of Aquatic Resources, DTU. Email Interview. January 20, 2011. > WEBSITES www.landezine.com www.kk.dk www.kbhkort.kk.dk www.kms.dk www.kulturarv.dk www.dn.dk www.ksa.kk.dk > ARCHIVES Stadsarkivet, City Hall, Copenhagen
33
SENIOR FURNITURE
DORPSHUIS, NL
PUBLIC POOL
BIKE BRIDGE
MY URBAN INTERIOR
READING ROOM
THE ROOM
LRT/LIBRARY
STEPHANIE BRACONNIER
01
Education
Ægirsgade 34, 4 t.v. Copenhagen, Denmark +45 5059 3303 stud4532@student.karch.dk
2009-2011
ROYAL DANISH ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS, COPENHAGEN Master of Architecture, Thesis Candidate
2007-2009
DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY, HALIFAX Bachelor of Environmental Design, Architecture
2005-2007
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Bachelor of Fine Arts, Art History
02
Experience
2009
KELLOGG, BROWN & ROOT Workface Planner, Edmonton
2008
35
TEKTON ARKITEKTEN Intern Architect, Amsterdam
2007
STUDIO T DESIGN LTD. Drafting Assistant, Calgary
03
Projects
2007
THE ROOM
2009
Year 1 Bachelor
2008
PUBLIC POOL
2009
Year 2 Bachelor
2008
DORPSHUIS, NL READING ROOM Year 1 Master
BIKE BRIDGE Year 1 Master
2008
SENIOR FURNITURE Year 1 Master
Year 2 Internship
2010
LRT/LIBRARY Year 3 Bachelor
2010
MY URBAN INTERIOR Year 2 Master