Architecture, Sustainability, and Transformation
Type: Competition 1st Prize
Area: 130 Ha
Year: 2024
Location: Esbjerg, Denmark
Collaborator: Efterland
This proposal won 1st Prize in the competition for a New National Architecture Politic for the future of the Danish suburbs.
The classic image of “the good life” in a suburban neighborhood includes a tidy front yard, a large carport, a well-maintained home, and a clearly defined privacy boundary: the hedge. This type of home once represented freedom, health, and individuality, but today’s narrative of “the good life” has taken on a different tone. The nuclear family requires more square meters, and many homes no longer meet modern standards. Often, it is cheaper to build new rather than renovate, and many older residents stay in the same place for years after their children have left home. The location of suburban neighborhoods leads to longer commutes to work, leisure, and shopping, and lacks natural gathering places as daily activities lie outside the neighborhood. Thus, this lifestyle has a significant environmental impact and offers limited opportunities for neighborhood bonding.
The vision for the future of suburban living builds upon the values that form the foundation of these neighborhoods: a green, everyday life where people interract with each other, and where there are clear, green boundaries between indoors and outdoors. It also envisions a life where there is a shared awareness that, while one cannot solve all the world’s problems alone, a lot can be achieved through community. Therefore, we need to live closer together and share more, but in a way that does not compromise the inherent individuality of the single-family home but rather enhances everyday quality and joy through deliberate, value-adding choices.