dezeen

SCA
PROJECT SCALA HIGH-RISE
CLIENT CENTERPLAN
COLLABORATORS THE MUNICIPALITY OF COPENHAGEN
SIZE 45,000 M2
LOCATION COPENHAGEN, DK
STATUS On-going

Scala HIGH-RISE
Visible from the Central Station, the Town Hall Square and the Tivoli Gardens, Scala on the Axel Square is located on a central traffic, cultural and commercial site in Copenhagen. Acting as the visiting card of Copenhagen to the surrounding world in the heart of a potent mix of élite and popular culture, we wish to continue Scala’s function as a place for concerts, cinemas, shops and restaurants.

The municipality has expressed a wish to let Scala house the new main library. Additionally, the proximity to the Central Station and the central location make the building suitable for conferences, hotel rooms and offices, which all in all means many activities in one place. Rather than choosing just one of the suggested programmes, we propose to realize all wishes and possibilities all at once: A dense and lively house for the city that combines both private and public space in a sliding scale from the street to the rooftop in one continuous movement.

We propose a building with a starting point in the historical Copenhagen tower which is made up of two basic principles: a base that relates to the urban space and life unfolding near the building, and a slim steeple that reaches towards the sky and becomes part of the Copenhagen Skyline. As such, our design of the Scala tower grows out of the context with a starting point in the volumes and cornice heights of the neighbouring buildings. From the surrounding city space, the house rises towards the sky. At the top, a clear principle for a tall and slim tower, at the bottom, a beautifully modelled volume that merges with the surrounding city from building to city space.

At street level, people have access to the main library that is a terraced landscape of reading rooms, great collections as well as a conference centre. Continuing up the tower, visitors will find themselves comfortable in the hotel, just as commercial tenures and a public roof terrace offer spectacular views of the city.

On the top side of the building, a terraced landscape invites people to relax and take in the city at one of the plateaus, making the Axel Square once again an attractive, urban public space.

boring

beautiful

beautiful lower part …boring upper part…

It doesn’t taper like a Copenhagen tower just comes to an abrupt stop a bit like a table leg.
I don’t think the upper levels will enahnce the city. Love the lower stepped profile.

Actually, I’ve heard Bjarke Ingels speak on this particular project; the images shown on this page really don’t do the project justice. You should check out the BIG website, which goes further into detail about the reason for the “abrupt stop” of the top of the tower.

The tower actually turns upward from the base, which allows the upper profile to coincide with those in the surrounding skyline, but also allows the building to have the “skinny rectangular” footprint as dictated by the site. As well as turning to coincide with the profiles of the adjacent buildings, the turning of this tower allows the upper floors to cut the winds that typically come across the city as opposed to being broadsided by them, which would result in stability issues.

concrete blocks…and link in commercial space…. nice concept. but, fuctionally it’s work?…..

A magnificent monument to a nation of great people.

But I hate those who insulted our prophet. Shame on them… Be sure
Hell is their destiny if they’ll not acknowlege their faults.

Written …From Setif, Algeria, By Sadek Boulhaia “of Silegue”

Any comment or question send to scedecke@yahoo.com