Science City Nord Campus Universität Kopenhagen

The University of Copenhagen launched an international competition to revive their inner city Nørre campus and transform it into an attractive and interesting environment that combines research, study, living, new investments and future city transformations. The presence of well-known and rewarded academic institutions like the faculties of the University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen University Hospital, the Copenhagen Biocenter, Planum and the Metropolitan University College are the promising start of creating a sustainable centre for science and healthcare.

We consider a science city more than just a couple of institutions. A science city needs a combination of research, education, business, housing, cultural and recreational venues and a vivid public realm including parks and squares.

In our concept for Science City North Campus, we aim for a high density of talent combined with an intensive interaction between people. Personal contact is thereby essential. Especially personal contact enhances the spirit to create new things, work together and break open traditional conventions. In our vision the use and quality of public and semi-public spaces have priority. Our starting point is not the creation of beautiful buildings –they might however be some of the results– but acknowledging the importance of people, human activities and interaction. The focus lies hereby on public space, atriums, courtyards, gardens, libraries and auditoria and not on individual buildings. We propose a wide range of different but interconnected spaces that stimulate foreseen and unforeseen interactions between students, professors, university’s staff members and residents from adjacent neighborhoods. This forms the very basis of a complex project that has highly flexible planning possibilities to guide the university into an unpredictable future.