About the workshop
What is urban nature? Where do we encounter urban nature and how do we interact with it? What is the future of urban nature in a world in which nature and the city keep on changing (for better or worse)?
As designers but also as keen observers of nature, urban nature and the human nature, we chose these questions as points of departure for our project in Metropolis Laboratory 2008.
It seems like man has a need for nature; nevertheless in the urban setting nature (especially in its untamed form) might be a disturbance – for city dwellers as well as city planners. Nature is an inspirational source for architects but incorporating it in their buildings remains a challenge.
We will start exploring and collecting as much information possible about urban nature in general and specifically in Copenhagen. Using all available means from Google Earth to foot expeditions, from interviews to sound samples we want to define urban nature (focusing on public and semi public spaces) and map it in Copenhagen.
Using the gathered data we want to try and understand the function of nature in present cities, what does it do to man and what do we do to it. We want to explore the unexpected, the pleasurable and unbearable aspects of urban nature.
The project has two aims. Collection, analyzing and presenting as much as possible diverse information about the appearance, function and future of nature in the city-scape. The second goal is creating an installation reflecting on the subject, making people aware to urban nature or offering an alternative to it.
About Sponge Architects
SPONGE is an office for city planning, architecture, interiors and art. To have ideas and to find creative solutions to ‘problems’ man needs a free and innovative way of thinking. This is not predefined by disciplines. Disciplines are developed by craftsmanship and expertise while working out the ideas.
SPONGE aims to find out the essence and the special aspects of a question by analysis and unprejudiced perception and make every concept a once only solution to innovate the already known.
www.sponge.nl