Today, an enormous shell no longer serving its previous purpose as an indoor facility for the closed-down B&W shipyard.
Tomorrow, an indoor city.
Not far from the centre of Copenhagen you will find the two connected structures currently being used to house a variety of leisure activities — such as paintball and a climbing centre.
Before long, the ever expanding Danish capital will start development in the old industrial area where you find these hangar-like structures.
As part of the ongoing discussion about what to do with these large industrial relics — visible from parts of the old city centre — Jool has proposed making them shelter an unusual urban space that is simultaneously indoors and outdoors.
Today’s structure is made of a steel skeleton clad in sheet metal, so it’s potential use is limited. At the same time, it bears testimony to the area’s past and can add variety and heritage to the new neighbourhoods that are planned in the area. So tearing it down would be a mistake.
The up to 75 metre tall structure could easily house a 20-storey building, but we propose constructing a number of smaller buildings with very high ceilings to maintain the sense of ‘space’ both inside the new buildings and ‘outside’ in the surrounding shell.
Together, the new buildings will form an ‘indoor city’ full of architectural variety.
Obviously not well-suited for housing, the new buildings inside the ex-shipyard could contain shops and restaurants on the ground floor, with office spaces on the upper levels. And there’s real potential for a playground with some legendary slides.
The structures themselves we see arranged on terraces in a twisted and turned pattern — creating a complexity reminiscent of an inner city, as well as multiple semi-outdoor spaces on multiple levels, for meetings, coffee or just taking in the unusual view.
Sheltered from the rain and wind, the ‘outdoor’ space inside the shell will be comfortable enough to be used year round — even in the varied Danish climate.
In fact, it may serve as a retreat from the nearby and still not-developed site of the probable high street of the coming neighbourhood. When it gets a little too cold or wet, the indoor city will offer a more comfortable way of staying “outdoors”.