GRØNNEGADE SQUARE
Type Open competition 2008, 1st prize
Role Main consultant
Client Odense Municipality
Funding Odense Municipality / Realdania
Size 6,000 m2
Project start 2010
Status Completed 2012
Grønnegade has been redesigned to become a square worthy of its place in front of the art museum and culture institution of Brandts in the centre of Odense. A new diverse city space for activity and recreation. Its diversity is seemingly hidden in the simple spacial design, but is brought to life by the presence and movements of people.
The warm yellow brick paving is the most recognizable material in the public city space in Odense. It binds the city together in a marvelous way, and speaks of tradition and qualitative awareness of city space. In Grønnegade, it is given an irregular touch by introducing large, wavelike patterns and laid out as an ornamented carpet as a basis for the functionality of the square. Large, organically shaped bench elements, interactive light and water scenography are placed on this carpet.
The brick paving is used in many different surfaces and in a wide variety of patterns and bonds – so we wanted to challenge the classic brick material and show the familiar material in a new, innovative way. As a consequence, the square signals both site specific tradition and quality, and at the same time points to the future by supporting a lively urban space with an active surface as a base for spontaneous and informal play and stay. Ny Grønnegade has become a beautiful, useful, active, and robust city space for everyone. A place where composition, function, and aesthetics become one.
A city space which can be taken in and explored, and where the users actively influence the space around them. The multi-use surface allows many different things to take place in the same space. Different pieces of recreational furniture, which structure the square and support the program are placed on the brick paving. The furniture offers a lot of seating and a large area of recreational surface. The inner or outer edges of the seating plinths, their black painted wooden decks or in the immediate space between them, are the most popular places to hang out, relax, and play.
A number of high leaning masts with spots light up the square. The basic lighting is subdued but safe and even. All lamps are DMX controlled and part of the interactive setup, just as the fountains. The lighting concept is developed with light designer Jesper Kongshaug, and will be a state of art interactive cityscape. In the dark hours of evening and night, the square will be in constant transformation, slowly changing in light and color
intensity. The lights react to the movements of pedestrians, and help orchestrate life and interaction on the square. The street lighting of the square is integrated with the effect light, and adjusts to different programmed scenarios. 8 different scenarios can be activated by mobile text messaging, and an application to design your own lighting scenarios for the square and watch them in full effect is now under development.
