Just a few years ago this prize-winning, leafy green square was still a four-lane street. The new Oluf Bager Plads represents a bridge between the city’s past and its future.
Oluf Bager Plads in the heart of Odense, Denmark, represents the type of development that the cities of the future must offer. Cities must become more pleasant to spend time in, less traffic and noise and, more green areas. A four-lane street was removed, and Oluf Bagers Plads, in centre city Odense, Denmark, was refurbished. In early 2019, the site was repurposed to create a vibrant, green city square featuring historical architecture, as well as newly constructed, modern buildings.
In this square, the firm Praksis Arkitekter designed two new townhouses that will catch the eye of passers-by with the subtle structure of their façades and their distinctive sloping roofs. The townhouses are not conspicuous, but only draw your attention on the second glance – since their steep slopes and lack of symmetry fit smoothly into the townscape. For the two new townhouses, the architects chose roof and cladding tiles that enhance this desired effect.
The Datura roof tile in natural red also gives the roof crisp horizontal lines, while the thin profile allows the brickwork to conform to the unusual angle of the buildings. “It lends a classic building an elegant, modern touch,” in the opinion of the architects. The modernity of the shapes is counterbalanced by the choice of colour scheme, since the red tone selected for the roof is quite classic. This makes the roofs fit in discreetly next to those of the existing adjacent buildings.
Yellowish-red brick EW3370 was used for the façade. The hand-moulded bricks, with their interplay of subtle gold and pink tones, give the façade a peaceful feeling. Nevertheless, the façade features detailed patterns that enliven the brickwork of the buildings by adding a third dimension. The hand- and sand-moulded bricks give the buildings a vibrant look, which is enhanced by the addition of trees and plants in the city square.
The contracting authority Realdania and the architects from Praksis Arkiteker won the Odin Prize, awarded by the Odense City Association, for the refurbishment of this square, which was formerly a through street. This city-planning project illustrates how we must imagine the cities of the future in keeping with the principles of urban sustainability and quality of life.
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