The percentage of people leaving the strained Rosenhøj housing estate fell after Arkitema’s changes were implemented.
Architecture inspired by people A study of the human benefits gained in several projects by the Danish architecture firm Arkitema Architects shows that architecture can make a significant difference; it can improve the lives of the people it is inspired by. Among the remarkable results is a 70 per cent reduction in the number of physical restrictions at a psychiatric department designed by the firm.
housing, urban, commercial, educational and health institutions. Among its most famous projects is Copenhagen’s newest and most popular neighbourhood, Sluseholmen.
By Signe Hansen | Photos: Arkitema
Safer and happier
When architecture can change and improve people’s lives, it is not just because of the aesthetic value it adds. No, architecture is about much more than attractive façades, stresses partner Jørgen Bach. “Our starting point is always ‘people in architecture’. Humans are at the centre 76 | Issue 93 | October 2016
of our work. It’s our company’s heritage and culture; it saturates everything we do; it’s the way we think, the way we are trained, and how all assignments begin.” Since its foundation in 1969, Arkitema has created a string of projects including
With a 70 per cent reduction in the number of physical restrictions and a 61 per cent reduction in the use of tranquilisers, the numbers speak their own language at Esbjerg Psychiatry. Furthermore, interviews show that, thanks to the new architectonical context, both patients and carers feel safer and happier in their