Plaza Northwest

Te active plaza in front of the Copenhagen Golden Library – on the site of a former gas station – has become a landmark for the whole youthful and mixed neighborhood surrounding it.

It can be used for both activity and recreation with the plants functioning as a screen towards the busy road while at the same time bringing flowers, grasses and trees to the area.

The programming of the plaza is a result of a user involvement process that invited local citizens, clubs and associations to put forward their wishes for a future public space in front of the library.

Hence it has been developed with a high degree of interaction with both building and neighborhood.

The plaza is structured as a terraced grid with a module of 5X5 meters. The squares are used both as plant beds, plinths and for seating.

Additionally the plaza has been designed as a LAR solution where 16.000 m³ of rain water are delayed and held back by slowly draining from the terraced grid to the plant beds.

The plants are trees as plane, cherry, hawthorn and horse chestnut, shrubs such as dwarf lilac and also perennials such as anemone, geranium and lavender.

The project was the winner of the Danish Landscape Architecture Award 2017.

Authors: Schønherr, COBE, Transform and Grontmij
Photo Credit: Jens Lindhe
Country: Denmark