The Social Qualities Of The Trench

Continuous lines warping through the landscape with various variations characterizes the common trench. When the passage shifts social spaces emerge - spaces that
allow both passing traffic as well as stays for a longer period of time.

The trenches' social capabilities seem very suitable for a spatial translation into supermarket aisles lacking areas designated for basic interaction / informal encounters.

Collage of various trenches (Canadian, Danish, American, German, Australian...)

The collage in perspective: Base for spatial investigation and development of language of form

Stoops in Brooklyn

Originating from the time when New York City was based on single family housing, stoops as access to the private sphere is a common part of the cityscape in
residential areas.

The social aspect of the stoop is as historical as the architectural element itself, as it encourages residents to participate in life in the street. Incidental encounters
of informal conversations with the neighbours or passersby as well as a general  self-regulating quality as Jane Jacobs calls it in her 1962 book 'the death and 
life of great american cities'.

Concrete activities based on the stoop includes stoop sales (the yard-less yard sale) and stoop ball (popular in Brooklyn after WWII).

The opportunity to customize the stoop improves the sense of identity among residents.

Case Studies: Grocers of Aarhus

Agenda Formulation

Skipping through the printed and folded A3 sized formulation describing the intentions of the project

The contents of the formulation

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Open Formations: Public program

A diagram investigating the abilities of the different spaces and their connections. The organic visuals representing the spaces is a collage of micrographics of skin:

Isolated private cells.

Partly closed membranes of semi-public spaces.

Street area with passing traffic.

The animate public space blending in and allowing stays for longer periods of time.

A diffuse open membrane combining the public spaces.

Open Formations: Markets and grocery stores

Mapping markets (black) and grocery stores (grey) of Williamsburg, Brooklyn: Arguing the non-existing need for a market due to surplus of this function in the area.


Instead, to empower the social capabilities of the grocery store, a place linking the grocers might increase the sense of community and trust among the residents.

Open Formations: Public Program

The grocery store as the semi-public space and the lack of places to stay in the public sphere.

Grocery stores in the area are loosing their function as the semi-privare meeting place for the block. They once hosted
 social interaction in the neighborhood and operated as a place of trust, where you could hang your apartment key eg.
for the maid, workman or family members to pick up.

The deli on the other corner have no interaction with the public sphere; no seating or other place to stay to enjoy
neither your food, a cup of coffee nor have any kind of social connection.

Conceptual inspiration.

As old towns in medieval towns shape each other, the idea is to
let the public spaces shape the semi-public, which again shapes
the private spaces.

Evidence of human tracks.

Open Formations: From Whitney Museum to Brooklyn

Gradient transitions and the public spaces as defining factors for the functions of three buildings.



Three separate bodies with public ground floors are connected by two public in-between spaces with different functions: One with traffic
and one without. In the area with traffic the idea is to slow the traffic down to create a connection across the street animating the space
designated for transportation.

The area without traffic will be lowered to increase the level of intimacy and safety generating a backyard atmosphere encouraging
activity and stays for longer periods of time. This area resembles the sculpture gar- den from The Whitney Museum.

The middle building is serving as a link between the two public spaces. Therefore the boundary of the low- ered area is inside the building,
which ground floor is used as a café or open kitchen.

The bottom part of the building across the public space without traffic is intended to be a youth centre.

The ground floor of the building across the street from the café will serve as a food market creating a link to the other side of the street
by function.

On top of the three buildings there are roof gardens (second chosen opening from The Whitney Museum) isolating the residents
from the life in the public spaces. The roof gardens on the two buildings are partly covered and have an elevated floor level ensuring a
visual contract to the street level.

Open Formations: Whitney Museum

An analysis of the roof gardens of the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Technical drawings of the roof garden and its connection to the interior office 

space as well as the relation to the single opening in the parapet.

Analytical drawing: Investigating experience of the space, orientation, sunlight 

and the parapets influence on the monumentalism of the building.

Open Formations: Mapping

 Capturing details of the facades along 4th and Keap street: Zoomed pictures every five meters.

Arkitekturteori: Event

Projected Futures: Limbo of Existence

Projected Futures: Inspiration

Inspiration for this phase of the process included, among others, Ashton Porter/Sarah Bromley.

Other inspirational sources were Cornelia Parker's 'Exploded Shed' (top left), 'Mirror/Infinity room' 
by Yayoi Kusama and various Lebbus Woods works.

Projected Futures: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Projected Futures: Reconstructed scene, The Fountain