1 VALBYPARKEN
the circle gardens at Valby Park Just outside the bustling main city lies an expansive green space along the coast, complete with playgrounds, ballfields, and an assortment of small themed gardens. These circular parklets are all sized similarly, and because they all exist adjacent to one another, a fortunate chance is afforded to study them without the variables of location and scale to interfere. There are 17 gardens in total, all between 21m and 37m in diameter. Each was identified by a sign at the entrance, presenting (in Danish) the name of the garden plus a description. A plan-view drawing of each space was also included, a very helpful feature of park signage that was common in other parks around Copenhagen as well. These particular spaces were built in 1996 as part of Copenhagen’s designation by the EU as the European Capital of Culture.
My first visit to the park was exploratory; I was still scoping out potential sites. The second visit comprised of recording my initial impressions, and trying to instinctively find a place to sit in each garden that would be the most comfortable. This self-analysis would later be paired with observations of others who used the space, although there were never more than two parties in the same garden at once (not including me). The easy part was deducing which gardens I liked most; the human brain is subconsciously drawn to the most inviting spaces. It was more difficult to deduce why I felt a certain way about each garden. Breaking down each space into its elementary forms and characteristics was a strategy to help myself better understand enclosure, as much as it is one to help explain it to others.
Intentions: A heavy portion of this project is dedicated to intimate enclosures because when people are by themselves, the nuances of their surroundings matter more: both from a behavioral perspective of security, but also realistically, when you’re around others, your attention will focused on socializing. The greater number of people who gather together, the more a space has to be functional to accommodate them. However, very small groups or individuals have specific needs that demand more sensitive design. Each garden was examined individually for traits that may impact the comfort and security of the space. The following pages of diagrams are intended to diagrammatically illustrate each of these traits, and visually compare them within the context of each garden. All of these factors are then analyzed as variables to determine if there are certain elements that are especially influential to the overall enclosure.
The collection of gardens ank an axial pedestrian path, a walkway lined with columnar poplars and oaks, which stretches for a kilometer all the way to the sea. Each of the 17 individual entrances are all located along a separate pathway that winds between the hedges.
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