T-licious

August 06, 2010

T-licious

T-Husene (T-Houses)
Steven Holl Architects
Copenhagen, Denmark

Now, I can admit that while browsing for a building to post today, it was a no-brainer to post this cluster of buildings for the most obvious of reasons. How DELIGHTFUL! (I thought), and since this blog is all about deliciously delightful things, we have a winner for the post du jour.

"Inspired by twilight and the Scandinavian sky, the T-shaped buildings maximize high quality residential floor space with views to the horizon and sunset."

http://www.openbuildings.com/buildings/t-husene-profile-1578.html

T-Houses
Copenhagen, Denmark

So, upon a little further investigation, it seems that this design is still in the "design phase", or that it's been shelved I guess. None-the-less, there are some really interesting points raised in this design. It's meant to be a series of multi-family residential towers for Copenhagen, Denmark. These 5 towers contain over 59,000 sq. ft of residential space over 41,000 sq ft of commercial space. Hurry for a mix of use!? I'm imagining the commercial space is in the post of the T and the residences are in the lintel. The concept stems from the idea of urban porosity as well as autonomy. The shape and spacing of the building allow for breathing room and airflow. The views are maximized by the tenants, and the skyline itself is framed at street level and perhaps even emphasized by the horizon formed by the coalescence of the tops of the T's. The autonomy occurs within the units themselves. Out of 50 units, 22 configurations are realized. I'd say adventurous perhaps even a developers worst nightmare. Then again, like the old cliche, variety is the spice of life! The tenants are given the opportunity to find a unit that best personally expresses them. They have the satisfaction and pride of knowing their space is individual and not a cookie-cutter-clone of their neighbor and everyone else in the building.

The site itself is also a bit of a marvel. It seems as thought the landscape unfolds on a myriad of different levels. It leaves me wondering what the logic is, and how also how safe. Would there actually be handrails on the the edges of these could be landscaped-roofed cliffs? I'm also totally intrigued by the necessary engineering. Are cantilevers like that really even structurally possible? The other problem I have, is that if there is this great open space to below, why paint is a bright colour? I can see whatever colour choice to be dated in a few short years. Why not maximize on some spaces to have a view to below? So, destined for now to be on the drawing board, my heart still skips a beat for the towers T.