All posts by decona

Metro project City line – The biggest project in Copenhagen since the 1600s!

If you have just visited Copenhagen or have been here in the last couple of years, you have probably noticed the green building fence around the city! But good news is on its way. – The green fence has begun to be taken down as the Metro construction is about to take shape. The Metro project with new connection lines will create a better infrastructure in Copenhagen. The new line will connect the city together from the city center, Copenhagen H, Østerbro, Nørrebro, Vesterbro and Frederiksberg. With its 15.5 km long underground tunnel, the metro line will have 17 underground stations. In two of the stations, you can change to the existing metro lines in Frederiksberg and Kongens Nytorv.

We are contributing with exciting and functional public facilities to the modern city, but also to an older urban environment. We believe that with great and well-functioning outdoor areas can contribute to increase the quality of urban life for citizens, commuters and residential neighborhood.

We take pride in offering complete project solutions where our products are designed to the specific needs of the customer and user groups, whether it is about public facilities to support those who already stay outdoor for a long time or it is to attract and encourage people to use public space more often.

• Beautification of the Metro stations forecourts are among the keywords in Copenhagen municipality’s urban development plan.

• The construction of the forecourts will take place at the same time as the new Metro line in the period 2016-2019.

• Public facilities with disability access will be established in the forecourts of seven Metro stations.

• The facilities are expected to be commissioned at the same time as Metro City in 2019.

With our urban space facilities, we strive to make the city more useful and attractive to all.

Photo credit: Metroselskabet – Red circle is the new City line

For more information and timeline for project, please visit the link: http://m.dk/#!/om+metroen/metrobyggeriet/om+cityringen

Sustainable space!

New recreation area with a playground made of natural materials for children, young and adults.

Vallensbæk municipality has been working on beautification of a green area called The Waterground. There has been established a brand-new activity space with an exciting interactive playground. At the playground, play and learning can be combined through computer-controlled games. Furthermore, the area has been established with different planters and new fruit bushes have been planted.

The area has been set up with tables and benches. Decona design have supplied waste bins to the brand new recreation area that are in line with nature-theme as the playground.

Transformation of an old public space into a new square

The purpose of construction of the square in Vejlegårdsparken, was to make the area more safe and attractive for cyclists, pedestrians and not least playing kids in the area.

The square has got a roundabout that distributes the users to and from the square. Bike and footpaths are separated and have different occupancy. Additionally, new lighting has been installed that will help keep the square safe when it is dark.

The spaces between the trails are designed for stays and activity for all age. Here, you can find a climbing wall, tile- and grass area with space for creative play.

In this project, we have provided with Decona design, waste bins and benches, for the area as we hope that users of the public space will enjoy.

Our newsrack is in Boston 

In cooperation with one of the biggest free daily newspaper publishers Metro US and MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority),. it is now possible to see our newly designed self-service newsrack in subways for the commuters in the Boston area.

The new racks have been designed specifically for Boston subways. Thoughts behind the design is based on Scandinavian design traditions and has been tailored for Metro’s brand- and visual identity.

What we want to achieve with the design is simple and easy accessibility. With a simple and functional design, we’ve puts the focus back on the core purpose. Witch is: providing news for people living busy lives, exposing more people to the world around them. A key role of superior design is to avoid getting in the way of the original purpose.

What we do is simply support and amplify it.

This it as a greater part of a service that ensures the free daily newspapers are available for commuters inside subway stations across Boston, that brings mutual benefits to all parties.

We have worked with, not only the design of the rack, but also observations on human behavior in the subways. With these observations, we have avoided doors and raised the shelf to provide easy one-handed access to the newspapers.

But the easy goes beyond grabbing the paper. One of the features of the innovative design is the 10-degree incline of the shelf to make the frontpage more visible. This way commuters get a quick overview the main headlines from a distance.

A combination of placement, look and intuitive ease of use will meet the readers where they are and on their terms, while also representing the identity of the media outlet it distributes.

Photo credit: Metro Boston

To read more about Metro in Boston – Press the link below:

Metro Expands In Boston

Ved Stranden

Soon to come, the old and beautiful street will get a new public lavatory for its citizens and visitors. It is exciting to bring this news on the sanitation solution. Ved Stranden is an old street in central Copenhagen between Højbroplads and Holmen’s Canal. The street is an extension of Gammel Strand and bounds up to Slotsholm Channel, where several prominent buildings located here.

The Ministry of Defense is located in the large building on the eastern part of the street. All the houses are preserved while the last mentioned isn’t.

The area has been a popular motif for many painters of the Golden Age from approximately year 1800 to 1850.

We have had the honor of designing and producing the lavatory that should fit in a historical place where the old meets the new. This refers to long lasting design concept, where the vision is to create a unit, that relates to Copenhagen’s predominantly classical buildings and new buildings to complement the historical, present and future city, thus helping to create coherence in and across each urban space.

Photo credit: Nick S

Genesis of Nytorv

In the years 1606-10, King Christian IV ordered that Copenhagen City Hall should expand and have a modernization. He wanted a City Hall, which was the city worthy. A part of this process was the establishment of a new square. The area  was behind the City Hall, which at the time faced the Old Square/Gammeltorv. This was later colloquially to Nytorv.

Before the order from the king, to clear the surrounding area, Nytorv was densely populated. The capital breeding farm had location here with its stables. Also the members of the City Council had their homes here. Today the old City Hall is being used as Copenhagen City Court. Nytorv is a public meeting place as it has location right up to the busy shopping street, Strøget, with many visitors every year. Decona has designed and will deliver the lavatory to the square and we are happy to be a part of the historical Copenhagen.

Photo credit: Leif Jørgensen

Since summer 2016, in collaboration with Strandparken, we’ve been working on a project dealing with designing and producing street furniture for a 7-kilometer-long coastline of Copenhagen Bay. The products have been set up and ready for use of the beach’s guests.

The starting point was to create products that focus on the basic features with its simple design can be integrated into the waterfronts unique nature. Design idea and form of the various products should be harmonized for achieving simplicity and wholeness in the area. Design proposals have had a common theme where aesthetics and elegance are intended to ensure consistency across the waterfront

Bench

Street furniture

Bollards

Garbage can at Copenhagen Bay

The New York-based Metropolis magazine has released its 2016 ranking of the world’s best cities to live in. According to Metropolis, the 2016 city ranking is based on the “concerns at Metropolis’s core”, such as housing, transportation, sustainability and culture.

Bridges dedicated solely to cyclists and pedestrians, public access to the entire coastline, creation of green streets and urban spaces, constant improvement of public amenities and dedication towards building urban resilience – all contribute to Copenhagen being placed on top of the list. Acknowledged as the world’s most livable city, Copenhagen is followed by Berlin and Helsinki. The other cities in top 10 are Singapore, Vienna, Tokyo, Oslo, Melbourne, Toronto and Portland.

Photo credit: MORTEN BJARNHOF