Sports Village | STEFANIA ADDIS

The 5.000 residents’ large low-income residential neighborhood UrbanPlan consists of a conglomerate of ‘urban villages’ surrounding the 3.5ha large Remiseparken, one of the most visited parks in Copenhagen. Conceived as a strategy for the revitalization of the entire urban area, the project aims to respond to the needs of a growing group of users of various ages for identity, sense of community and healthy lifestyle. In response to the ‘village’ structure of the surrounding urban context, and echoing the presence of the popular ‘farm’ situated in the Northern part of the site, the project proposes to merge sports fields and pitched roof houses to create an intriguing, amusing, challenging and inviting Sports Village. The four pitched roof houses with related sports fields densify the existing sports fields’ environment, and add a new complementary layer of informality to the existing structures. They promote a ground for social gathering and playful interaction regardless age and interest. They materialize a ‘performance architecture’ to support new social and sports practices. Developed as variations on the archetypal pitched roof house, each volume has been carved out and given a different position in relation to the ground level to support different activities. The upstanding Hollow House is perforated and placed in the middle of a sports field as a giant 3d net, to encourage badminton, hide-and-seek ball games and climbing activities. The second upstanding Slope House is provided with a continuous roof profile which accommodates a sloping kick-to-kick football field. One of the goals provides a connection with the inside of the house featuring a covered roller skate and skateboard track with an adjacent veranda for kickflips and hanging out. The Flipped House provides a flipped soccer and basketball field, and accommodates a parkour track in its carved out interior, while its tilted roof can be used as an informal tribune overlooking the adjacent football pitch. Finally, the roof of the Up-Side-Down House makes an informal playground, while an overview of the whole village is provided by its former base, now a ‘referee platform’ accessible by a chimney ladder.