Densityseries

3. WHAT IS DENSITY? ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 6-23

b. THE INTENSE DENSITY ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 24-51

c. DENSIITY AND URBAN FORMS •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 52-93

d. THE FRIENDLY DENSITY ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 94-127

© a+t architecture publishers

No part of this publication, including the cover, may be reproduced or transmitted e. THE cL~ EANI DENsiTY •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 128-137
without the express authorization in writing of the publisher.

a+t architecture publishers. Ca lle Gene ral Alava, 15 2°A. 01005 Vitoria-Gasteiz. Spain + THE DESIRABLE DENSITY ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 138-141

ust.net
What is density? This is a very simple question at first sight that
makes us wonder about for years.
Before trying to answer this question, lefs see what density is not.
Very often, when you hear about density and city you associate
with images from Hong Kong or Benidorm, -the hyperdense city,
-,with skyscrapers put together and small apartments inside.
It reminds us the story of the cubic watermelon.
Around the 80s, a farmer, on the island of Shikoku, south of Jla-
pan came up with the idea of making a cube-shaped watermelon
which could easily be packed and stored.
He created a cubic mould, where each seed would grow adopt-
ing a cubic form.
The result was a wonderful cubic watermelon, which remained
stable and it was easier to be stored, packed and shipped.
8 9
 "CUBIC"
v v WM

A A

v v

100M 100M

You can do this with watermelons, but you can't do it with buildings. If you do that with bui ldings, it won't be for the sake of density, it

Density has nothing to do with the volumetric exploitation of the will be for the sake of speculation and the result will be the slums,

city. It is not a question of bringing in as many homes as possible. as history has proved already.

It is not a question of reducing voids.

10 11
 CO/

3V

>

'01
C0 2 EMISSIONS

C02

In terms of carbon emissions, it has been proved that the dis-

persed city, consisting of individual houses, is a bigger source of >
carbon emissions than the compact city, not only for the energy re-
quired for each house, but also for the emissions derived from the
,0 2
individual transport, for public transport is unaffordable because INFRASTRUCTURES

the population does not reach a critical mass.

Secondly, road surfaces increase proportionally to the dispersion
and convert rural land into asphalt landscapes.
The proportion of asphalt needed to serve individual houses is of 1
m 2 of road per 1 m 2 of gross floor area, and the tons of material need- N

ed for road constructions and buildings could achieve in many cases

>
the same proportion of 1:1.
Finally, the compact city promotes interaction between citizens and
uses, not only as neighbors but at a bigger scale, sharing facilities, 03
COMMUNITY
amenities, and public spaces.
12 13
 We tried to put in relation the

•
architectural project with a certain
ens1 means o us
way of living, that which promotes:
• the compact city instead of the
dispersed city,
• the collective housing instead o
the individual houses and
• th1e interaction of functions,
instead of the segregation of uses.
After many years analyzing
projects, we are beginning to
define what density means to
We began to be interested in density by the end of the 90s.
In architecture publications, housing projects used to be shown
us and we thin~ k that it based on
as objects, isolated from the surroundings, with any data related
the interaction between three
to the inputs they contribute to the city.
We believed that housing projects should be shown in relation elements:
with the type of city they proposed, because they aren't just
buildings but part of a given city. Agents, fluxes and territory.
14 15
•
• ?•
o are ens1
THE OWNER OF THE LAND THE RULER

On the opposite page we have the conventional agents of the city:

The owner of the land, the ruler, the urban planner, the devel- THE URBAN PLANNER THE DEVELOPER

oper, the architect and the citizen.

They all have had their specific aims and performances over the
history. But, as we will see through the coming pages, the con -
struction of a compact city requires that these trad itional agents
turn into more complex entities in such a way that individual aims
- usually related to the d ispersed city, are been transformed into
communal goals, capable to attain consensus and the common
good
In that respect, the dense city requires public-private partner-
ship to carry out the vision, participation of citizens at decision -
making levels, and a good dose of tolerance and social concern. THE ARCHITECT THE CITIZEN

16 17
 • Natural fluxes are part of the

• ecosystem of the territory. They

uxes ~o ?
ens1 •
might be specific, as in the case
of water courses or the prevailing
winds, or general flows, such as
light or air.
• Virtual fluxes are decision flows,
which occur outside the physical
territory yet affect the physical
evolution of the territory as is
the case of political or economic
decision1s.
• Human fluxes are related to the
movility of people or goods and
When we talk about the city or any other geographical space,
we identify the elements as two superimposed layers: fluxes these are constrained by natural
and territory. We recognize three types of flluxes:
natural fluxes, virtu a I fluxes and human flluxes. and virtual flows.
18 19
 THE DEVELOPERS

THE RULER

/
<

400M 400M 400M

400M

01 02
NATURAL FLUXES VIRTUAL FLUXES
They are those which affect the ecosystem of a territory, such as They are streams of decisions produced by the agents. There
watercourses, air or sun light are economica l, polit ical and social decision flluxes

20 21
 +
TH E URBAN PLANNER THE ARCHITECT

---HW Mi ///
~ ~ /
~~~ /:>- / / ~
/ /
< < ~ ~.
a
T ~

400M 400M 400M 400M

TH E CITIZENS

03 01 + 02 + 03
HUMANI FLUXES FLUXES AND TERRITORY
They are the flows of individuals and goods which describe The combination of fluxes divides the territory into solids
human act ivity and voids

22 23
 •
on

This is the case of the former site of the Renault car-

manufacturer, in the municipality of Boulogne-Billancourt, 7 km
east from the Parisian Champs Elysees.
In 1992 the Renault car factory discontinued production and
liberated a strategic area of 74 hectares, attracting a great deal
of land developers.
Here, an original combination of public and private interests led
to the transformation of the conventional agents of the city, who
acted in the right direction to create, together, a vibrant city
fragment.
26 27
• The time has come to propose
The closure of the Renault factories triggered a process which
took 14 years to see the construction of the first building in the
new plan and whose total estimated time scale is 20 years.
The first stage in this process was for the councils and
the landowner to come together to form a public-private
partnership.
In 1995 the election of a new mayor for Boulogne-Billancourt
marks the real start of the project, with a political partnership,
at all levels of the state, highly favourable to implement an
ambitious city project.
The landowner and the group of governing bodies hire an
urban architect, Bruno Fortier, to lay down the ground ru les:
28
a new way of living taking into
account demands concerning the
environment and social integration
which citizens are increasingly
willing to assume.
how many metres of build area can be offered to the future
developers, what percentage of land wi II be reserved for free
space, what will be the prevailing use and what degree of
mixed use and social integration will be allowed.
The outcome is a l arge scale urban plan which al l ows the
landowners to sell the land to a company made up of 4 large
property developers.
Based on the land sales and the definition of the master
plan, the group of governing bodies brings in a new agent,
the project manager, who wil l be responsible for setting up a
public-private partnership which is to manage and oversee the
process from 2003 until its completion.
29
THE OWNER OF THE LAND
THE RULER
THE DEVELOPER
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

THE OWN ER

The landowner, the carmakers Re-

nault, sells the land to the develop-
ment company DBS, according to the
plan drawn up by Bruno Fortier, which RENAU LT FACTORY
guarantees a one mil Ilion square metre
builld area and releasing the required
public spaces to the council.
One of the agents who stands out in
this first operation is Jean Pierre Four-
cade. Ellected Mayor of Boulogne-Bil-
lancourt in 1995, Fourcade is a profes-
sional politician who has been Minister
of both Finance and Infrastructures in
successive right-wing g~overnments

since the 70s. He knows how the State

works and he becomes Mayor while
also being Senator for the province.
Jacques Chirac has just become Presi-
dent of the Republic and Alain Juppe +
is Prime Minister, both members of the
THE DEVELOPERS THE RULER LA SEINE
same party as Fourcade.

30 31
 Tile ruler is Iro nsformed
in ~o : ruler, developer,
and prOJ8CI manager
for ~he ensemble of
THE MANIAGER public spaces and
rac ili ~ies
THE URBAN PLANNIER
THE ARCHITECT THE URBAN PLANNER
3 ARCHITECTS
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
+
LANDSCAPE +
ARCHITECT

THE DEVELOPERS THE RULCR

The manager of this project has also V2

$
PUBLIC PR VATE
1

PARTNERSHIP
been one of the most significant V3
agents: Jean-Louis Subileau, whose
SUBILEAU
profile lies between the politician, th A2

economist and the town planner w o

A3
creates and manages, at the go er-
nor's request, a public-private pa ner- 62 A40

ship, in which investment funds h ld a A4E

83
stake, which controls all the urba and
economic development of the o era-
tion. The governor, through this PPP, D2 84

does not only promote and ma age A5

the public spaces and amenities, ut

D3
also coordinates-controls the des1 n
and construction of alii the architectur
projects.
The project manager, through a pub-
lic tender contest, selects two studies
by architects-town planners: Patrick
Chavannes and Christian Devilliers, LANDSCAPE ARCH.

who are years later joined by Jean

+
Nouvel for the design of the isle. Each
of the three, in colllaboration with a
landscape architect, is commissioned
to design one of the three areas into
which the project site has been divided.
NOUVEL CHAVANNES DESVILLIERS

32 33
THE ARCHITECT
Arch iteos develop also
THE CITIZEN 1·he urban blocks and
more orchnects ore in
charge of each plot .

<
BIG BUNC H OF THE ARC HITECT
ARCH ITECTS 3 ARCHITECTS
+
LANDSCAPE
ARC HITECT

The design of each of these large

blocks is seen as an urban project and
is subject to a public tender contest.
The winning bidder becomes the coor-
dinator of all the buildings in the block, Ci tizen or user is
represented by 16
which in turn are the outcome of indi- associations which
vidual tender contests. work in different groups
as advisers
Citizens are present through 16 asso-
ciations from the beginning of the de-
sign and regulation process. The Coor-
dinating Commission created in 1995
is the information exchange platform
where different citizen associations TH E CITIZENS
take part in different working groups.

34 35
 uxes on
When a decision is made
concerning the density of a plan,
In this segment of recycled land the agents embody a complete
potential economic value is
vision of the type of city they desire.
The new segment differs from the pre-existing segment in the generated based on the building
setting comprising large social housing estates put up in the 70s.
Now the fabric is laid out in large open blocks, the so-called options which are granted to the
Macro lots.
How are they formed? Here is where fluxes come into play. land. This potential shapes the
As we have already mentioned, virtual fluxes are currents of
built form virtually with the aim to
decision brought about by the agents.
The combination of political and economic fluxes also shapes maximize profit.
the outdoor space of the blocks. Either a shared city or a closed
city will be built, according to the balance between both fluxes. The main decisions which shape
The relationship between public outdoor space and private
outdoor space will determine the success of the compact city. the form are:
When there is a lack of balance in this relationship and there
is a large amount of private space, we get closed blocks, with
• the assigned floor area ratio
isolated spaces with high -cost maintenance for the owners,
build area I plot area
which eliminates the option for large recreational areas or small
spaces for socia Iizi ng. • maximum permitted build height
Lastly, the circulation fluxes, which reflect the requirements of
human activity, finish off the process of shaping the territory. • percentage of floor area occupied.
36 37
NATURAL FLUXES
WATERCOURSES,
AIR AND SUNLIGHT

OLD RENAULT FACTORY

AREA=74Ho

CLIMATE
The river pulls the heart of the new
neighbourhood towards its bank. The
most vibrant hub of activity is concen-
t rated alongside the dockland area.
The flow of sunlight requires separa-
tion and setting d istances between
t he buildings for light to get to each
dwelling.
The air flows more easily through
dwellings which face in two directions.
Lastly the climatic structure imposes
sustainable development and deter-
mines that the construction uses re-
newable energy sources and manages
LA SEINE
rainwate r and seasonal flooding.

38 39
 ••• .'

Open the urban block

and eliminoles the inner
facade, Ihe inner views,
VIRTUAL FLUXES enhanc ing ~h e value oF
th e dwellings.

ECONIOMIC FLUXES
••• ;f . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

+
THE DEVELOPERS THE RULER
N

$ $
PROFIT < PUB IC P=\IV.A.TE
SOC FTY

Apart from density there are other de ~

sign decisions which increase or de-
0/Ho
DENSITY
crease the value of the dwelling~.
For instance, when we open up the
block and remove interior courtyards
and constricted views, this enhances
the design and increases the potential
value of each dwelling. On the other
hand/ if exterior views are sacrificed
in favour of a greater use of the floor
FA RATI0=3,5
area/ the value of the block as a whole COVERED AREA= 50%
AVERAGE N° STORIES=8
increases yet the value of each dwell-
ing decreases.
In the case of the former Renault site,
we can see how the floor area ratio of
each plot is about 3.5, which means
that 3.5 m2 can be built for each 1 m 2
of plot area. The average permitted THE ARCHITECT
3 ARCHI TECTS
builld height is 8 storeys and the area +
LANDSCAPE
occupied is 50%. ARCHITECT

40 41
 ••• .'

The poli~ i col oim: o

mised-use cii!:J,
cons isled of mised-use
urbo n bloc ks. where
VIRTUAL FLUXES housing is between
30-70% of gross fioor
area.
POLITICAL FLUXES
••• ;f ......................................................... .

+
THE DEVELOPERS THE RULER

$
PU3LIC-PRIVA IE
SOCIETY

There is a political decision to provide 30%

SUBSIDIZED
a large quantity of housing~, part of this
subsidized, mixed with amenities, ser-
vices, office space and ample green
areas. The flow of political! decisions is
what models the mixed city.
In each macrolot, housing makes up
between 30% and 70% of the build THE CITIZENS

area, of which 30% is social housing.

42 43
FAC\L\1\ES

45

RE1A\l

Ofr\CES
 ••• .'

VIRTUAL FLUXES
POLITICAL AND
ECONIOMIC FLUXES
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

THE DEVELOPERS TH E RULER

THE ARC HITECT

3 ARCHITECTS
+
LANDSCAPE
ARC HITECT

In this case of Renaullt site, the consen -

sus released quite an open city.
The pattern of the urban block is a big
piece of land, about 1 to 1.5 hectares,
the so-called Macrolot, where street
fronts break up to let inner courtyards
reach the street
The interior of these bllocks is thus
landscaped and public. They are
closed at night, to prevent conflict and
remain open during the day.
As we said previously, this open space
represents the 50% of the macrolot
surface, and remains in public hands.

46 47
HUMAN FLUXES
CIRCULATIONS
••• ;f ......................................................... .

The design of the road network bal-

ances the flow of automobiles with
that of pedestrians and light vehiclles
(bicycles, skates, wheelchairs ... )
Automobiles are banned from enter-
ing the interior of the large blocks
while pedestrians and light vehiclles
can cross through them as a shortcut.

PEDESTRIAN NETWORK

48 ROAD NETWORK MACROLOT PERMEABILITY 49

 •

NATURAL, VIRTUAL AND

HUMAN FLUXES
••• ;f . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

This drawing summarizes the

look of intense density.
The resu It of this master plan is a
sector where:
Gross density: 75 dwellings/ha
N,e t density 304 dwellings/ha
In terms of floor area ratio, that
is the intensity of the pI ace
when you sum up all the uses
included:
1.5 for the master plan
3.5 for the macrolot
5,0°/o covered area
so 51
 0 Ha FLOOR AREA RAT 0
"ABSTRACT" DENSITY
DENSITY
1 l
Does not deperl d on the uses
No longer Dw/Ha as o n indica tor of Density

10.000M2
10 000M2

Ho 280 /Ho

How to manage Density in the urban block? We put Floor Area Ratio, better
In the scales of Density, from the territorial, to the dwelling
than dwellings or population, as a
scale, the intermediate scale, that of the urban block, is the
main field of activity of the architect. measure of Density.
No longer dwellings per hectare, as an indicator of Density
We have given -up considering Density as a quotient between Floor Area Ratio, FAR is a more
the number-of-dwellings by the surface-area of the plot.
For us, this has been an important change in our mind. balanced indicator of Density.
Along building -life cycle, different movements can be produced
It's more abstract and generic.
between residential- uses and offices or commercial -spaces. Use
can change. This shou ld be possible and desirable. Density shouldn't be affected by
At the image, you can see volumes with different colours, that
mean different uses, mixed in a generic p lot. debates on uses or zoning.
54 55
•

rms

1 2 3

10 11 12

4 5 6

13 14 15

7 8 9

A B
TRADITIONAL URBAN FORMS SELECTED URBAN BLOCKS
Analyzed by a +t research group Pub lished in a +t Density series

Trying to obtain a more accurate picture of Density, we've of the most significant urban blocks published by a+t during
developed an analysis comparing nine traditional forms with six the last fifteen years.
56 57
•

Here you can see nine traditional ways of filling a void with a 01. SINGLE FAMILY HOUSES 02. IROWHOUSES 03. POINT BUILDINGS
FAR 0.50 FAR 1.20 FAR 1.44
solid. cov 0.25 cov 0.60 cov 0.24
HEI 2.00 HEI 2.00 HEI 6.00
These nine, are theoretical examples, and not real cases.
All the plots have one hectare.
We think that these nine examples summarize the range of
possibilities of stacking floor-area on a plot.
They are abstract forms and they try to cover different
situations of living in a city.

04. DOUBLE SLAB OS. SLAB 06. CLOSED URBAIN BLOCK

FAR: Floor Area Ratio: The Gross Floor Area divided by the FAR 1.80 FAR 1.65 FAR 3.84
cov 0.30 cov 0.15 cov 0.64
total area of the plot. The units are sqm per sqm. HEI 6.00 HEI 11.00 HEI 6.00

COV: Coverage: It shows the relationship between built and

non-built space on the plot. The units are sqm per sqm.

HEI: Height index: It is not the height of the building or the

block. It measures the relation between Floor Area Ratio and
Coverage. It is a sort of average height. It has no units*.
07. URBAN BLOCK WITH TOWERS 08. PLINTH WITH TOWERS 09. TOWER
FAR 3.10 FAR 1.16 FAR 1.89
cov 0.88 cov 0.36 cov 0.09
HEI 3.52 HEI 3.22 HEI 21.00

*Some of these concepts coincide with the research made by Meta Berghauser Pont and Per Haupt in
Space matrix. Space, Density and Urban Form. (NAi 201 0).

58 59
•

10. MIRADOR 11. RENAULT SITE

FAR 1.60 FAR 3.50
cov 0.11 cov 0.50
HEI 15.02 HEI 8.00

The selection of the six significant urban blocks has

been made taking into account the densification of the
neighborhood and other factors that increase the quality 12. DE LANDTONG 13. SHINONOME
FAR 3.08 FAR 4.18
of Density, called performances, which are explained in the cov 0.41 cov 0.34
HEI 7.19 HEI 12.41
coming pages. The selection we've made can be grouped into
four categories:
PERFORATED BLOCK: the Mirador building in Madrid, by
MVRDV and Blanca Lle6.
MACROLOT OR SUPER-PLOT: the Renault site in Paris, by
Patrick Chavannes and Christian Devilliers
HYBRID BLOCKS: De Landtong in Rotterdam, by Architekten
Cie, Frits van Dongen and Shinonome in Tokyo, by Riken
14. SCHOTS 1 AND 2 CIBOGA 15.8 HOUSE
Yamamoto, Kengo Kuma, Toyo Ito and others. FAR 1.19 FAR 2.51
cov 0..34 COV 0.46
MEGAFORMS: Schots 1 and 2 CiBoGa in Groningen, HEI 3.50 HEI 5.41

Netherlands, by 5333 and 8 House in Copenhagen, by BIG.

60 61
 10
THE PERFORATED BLOCK
MIRADOR BUILDING
MVRDV & BLANCA LLE6
Sanchinarro (Madrid, Spain)
...............................................................

Located in Madridls Sanchinarro ex-

tension{ we think that here the authors
asked themselves:
How to subvert the rigidity of the given
Master Plan, in which all plots are more
or less traditional perimeter blocks?
It is, thus, a joke of subversion by con-
verting the traditional perimeter block
into a vertical block with a perforation
in its centre.
This block became an icon of a public
residential building, but many impor-
tant aspects were put aside, such as
circulations, dimensions of the apart-
ments and the open space of the plot.

This project is published in the book HoCo (a+t

Density series)

go back to urban forms

62 63
 10

THE PERFORATED BLOCK

FLOOR AREA RATIO is the same as the plots with Perimeter

Block of the Sanchinarro Master Plan.
COVERAGE has a very small value, it could be assimilated to
the Tower model included in the traditional forms selection.
The HEI indicator diminishes by the great hole in the middle.

FAR=11.60- COV=0.11- HEI=15.02

64 65
 11
THE MACROLOT
RENAULT SITE
PATRICK CHAVANNES,
CHRISTIAN DEVILLIERS
Paris (France}
.............................................................

The Renault site is based on a concept

from the eighties': the open block.
It associated two opposed principles:
the freedom of the in dividual solid-
form and the strictness of the grid.
The open block is excavated and di-
vided into voids and solids which are
regulated by specific, but open rules.
It is a way between urbanism and ar-
chitecture.

This project is published in the book DENSITY IS

HOME (a+t Density series).

go back to urban forms

66 67
 11

THE MACROLOT

FAR is bigger in macrolot than in any other

of our selected European city blocks and
COVERAGE is in a medium range.

FAR=3.50 - COV=O.SO - HEI=S.OO

68 69
 12
THE HYBRID BLOCK
DE LANDTONG
ARCHITEKTEN CIE, FRITS VAN DONG EN
Rotterdam (The Netherlands)
...............................................................

De Landtong and Shinonome maintain

the traditional relationship with the
street, reaching the limits of the plot.
These mixtu re of sllabs, towers and
row houses avoid the problems of the
perimeter-city-block, which are:
• Difficult configuration of the corners,
• Less daylight in inner facades and
·Closed and un-accessiblle interior
spaces.
The difference between both is in the
character of their interior open spaces.
In De Landtong are private, in Shinon-
ome public.
Orientation also has to do with the
quality of Density: Here, three slabs
slope-down towards the south to gain
daylight in the courtyards.
This is an intense combination of the
best of two worlds: low and high density.

This project is pub lished in the a+t n.12 HOUSING

AND FLEXIBILITY I.

go back to urban forms

70 71
 12

THE HYBRID BLOCK

In The Netherlands, it's not normal to find 3.08 FAR and

a COVERAGE of 0.41 .

FAR=3.08- COV=0.41 - HEI=7.119

72 73
 13

THE HYBRID BLOCK

SHINONOME
RIKEN YAMAMOTO, KENGO KUMA
TOYO ITO AND OTHERS
Tokyo (Japan)

.............................................................

Shinonome follows a strategy to ac-

complish the need for subsidized
housing with a rich variety of types
and, at the same time, diverts the at-
tention from the five private specula-
tive towers located beside. . -.
There is a big proportion of Iive-work
--
...

units, a very demanded typology in

Japan.
Great intensity, but, however, the in-
terior public space remains in propor-
tions, producing a balsamic effect,
pointing-up that density is a subjective
concept, shaped by other factors.

This project is published in the book Dbook (a+t

Density series).

go back to urban forms

74 75
 13

THE HYBRID BLOCK

The most significant value is a FAR of 4.18.

The COVERAGE is only 0.34, because there is a lot of
public space at the interior of the block.

FAR=4.18- COV=0.34- HEI=12.41

76 77
 14
THE MEGAFORM
SCHOTS 1 AND 2 CIBOGA
5333
Groningen (The Netherlands)
...............................................................

Let's compare the next two examples:

CiBoGa and 8 House.
We consider them as two megaforms,
which try to go beyond the rigid for-
malization of the traditional urban
block. With geometrical operations,
two basic volumes have been elon-
gated, twisted and folded to obtain a
megaform.
These two bllocks are located in a re-
gained area in the centre of Gronin-
gen. The absence of a predominant
grid enhances the opportunity to cre-
ate an urban event, which can act as a
node for the area. These hybrid blocks
performs not only with its solids, but
also with its voids.

This project is published in a+t n.22 DENSITY IV.

go back to urban forms

78 79
 14

THE MEGAFORM

Considering FAR index, in this case it is more important the

concept of Diversity, than that of Intensity. Ci BoG a has a small
Coverage index, due to the big importance of open spaces

FAR=1.19 - COV=0.34 - HEI=3.50

80 81
 . ,
•
15
THE MEGAFORM
8 HOUSE
BIG ARCHITECTS
Copenhagen (Denmark)
...............................................................

The 8 House is located in Orestad

South/ at the end of this new territory
incorporated to the city of Copenha-
gen/ with nice views of the Kalfebod
Commons.
Its mission is to create a big pole of at-
traction in the area. In order to gather
enough population and produce a
lively city ambiance, the whole com-
plex, like CiBoGa and De Landtong/
is composed by putting-together two
urban blocks/ a decision against the
prevailing master plan.
Till now/ this is the largest private-
housing-development ever undertak-
en in Denmark. It is also a way between
urbanism and architecture.

This project is published in the book DENSITY IS

HOME (a+t Density series).

go back to urban forms

82 83
 15

THE MEGAFORM

FAR maintains a medium range situation. The big surface of

courtyards decreases also the COVERAGE of the plot.

FAR=2.51 - COV=0.46- HEI=5.41

84 85
 FAR

50
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ra I 1ona rms versus

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cov
0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 0,7 0,8 0,9 1

This graph shows two axes. Horizontal axis shows the TRADITIONAL FORMS
COVERAGE index, and the vertical axis shows the FAR index.
In the first case the gradation is from zero to one, and in the 01. SINGLE FAMILY HOUSES 02. ROWHOUSES 03. POINT BUILDINGS
FAR 0.50 FAR 1.20 FAR 1.44
second, from zero to five. COV 0.25 cov 0.60 COV 0.24
HEI 2.00 HEI 2.00 HEI 6.00
Among the axes there are the nine traditional urban forms, with
the value of their indicators.
In terms of intensity, two urban forms show·-off their power at
04. DOUBLE SLAB OS. SLAB 06. CLOSED URBAN BLOCK
the upper right corner. They are the perimeter block and the FAR 1.80 FAR 1.65 FAR 3.84
cov 0.30 cov 0.15 cov 0.64
singular volumes over a base. These are examples of an intense HEI 6.00 HEI 11,00 HEI 6,00

use of the land. All the rest of urban forms are under 2.00 FAR
with a small COVERAGE index. The exception is the example
of the typical British suburbia, number 2, row houses with no
07. URBAN BLOCK WITH TOWERS 08. PLINTH WITH TOWEIRS 09. TOWER
FAR 3.10 FAR 1. ~ 6 FAR 1.89
ending, which is not as dispersed as the single family scheme,
COV 0.88 COV 0.36 COV 0.09
HEI 3.52 HEI 3.22 HEI 2~ .00
but not as concentrated as the strip or slab solutions.
86 87
 IFAR

One thing is clear: if we want to 5,0

I
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I

/
/ '
/ '
I
/
/ '
4,5 I
I
/
/

have a wise grading of solids and

I
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4,0 I
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voids to enrich the urban form/ we

I
35
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~//~
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would need empty spaces within

I / ~
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- ~
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the plot. That means coverage

/
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-
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index h~ as to be smaller than 0.50. -

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0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 0,7 0,8 0,9 1
This graph shows the precise relationship between the three
indicators of density: FAR, COVERAGE and HEI.
A ll the blue selected blocks fulfill this rule. CiBoGa (14) is the SELECTED BLOCKS
smaller example from the point of view of FAR and with less
10. M I RADOIR 11. RENAULT SITE 12.. DE LANDTONG
COV index, because of the richness and gradation of public and FAR 1.60 FAR 3.50 FAR 3.08
cov 0.11 cov 0.50 cov 0.41
semi-public spaces and the strong desire for physical contact- HEI 15.02 HEI 8.00 H El 7.19

with -the-ground of the Dutch population. Shinonome (13) is

the most intense block and reveals the strength of this type 13. SH INONOME 14. SCHOTS 11 and 2 CIBOGA 15. 8 HOUSE
FAR 4.18 FAR 1.19 FAR 2.51
of development. It has the highest FAR ratio, 4.18. Standard cov 0.34 cov 0.34 cov 0.46
HEI 12,41 HEI 3.50 HEI 5.41
European ratios sound ridiculous when they are compared to
these types of agglomerations of Asian cities, which maintain a
more complicated relationship with density.
We can see three sloping lines which establish neat pointed
areas of low, medium and high rise. High density not always
means high rise. Many examples support this idea and Macrolot
(11) and 8 House (15) are two of them.
88 89
 FAR

HIGH IRISE MEDIUM RISE

5,0 1--1------____;_~~-~...-...~--------------------~~~ MEDI UM RIISE

4,5
13
$
4,0 /. 06
$

3,5
61 $
11
07
r
07
3,0 0 $
~
;;o
{j')
15 rn
2,5 15
$

2,0 09
-1- $ 04
- $ 04
10 05 $
$
1,5 03
02 $

1,0

05
'

0 0, 1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 0,7 0,8 0,9 1

MEDI UM RISE

Which density do we prefer?

The range of values that is worthwhile are the well balanced
<>
urban blocks placed in the centre of t he graph. In order to 06
$

create urban life and intensity we think that FAR should be

07
balanced around 3.00, this of course at the plot level. As a $

general rule, we proclaim the advantages of the compact city.

We try even t o avoid publishing single family houses. So, our
04
interest focuses on the intermediate area of Medium - Rise. $

There is a golden t riangle between 8 House (15) De Landtong

(12) and the Renau It Macro lot (13), that joins together the
best qua lities of the European block: dense, compact, mixed,
intense and diverse.
90 91
 11. RENAULT MACROLOT
FAR 3.50 MED IUM RISE
cov 0.50
HE I 8.00

<>
06
Eil

07
Eil

04
Eil

115. 8 HOUSE
FAR 2.5 1
cov 0.46
HEI 5.41

Two points of this triangle are good examples of two intense

ways of living in Europe: Nordic and Mediterranean. They
are the Macrolot (11), near the high line, a good example for
Southern countries, and the 8 House (15), well balanced in
the centre of the graph, which does the same for Northern
countries, but with Mediterranean touches as we'll see.
92 93
There are some characteristics of
density not measurable in terms
of figures and ratios, but with
the same importance. These are
the performances that define the
Quality of Density.
We can classify them into two
categories: hard and soft.
96
HARD PERFORMANCES are referred to physical aspects of
the built environment, such as accesses, circulations, types of
dwellings, orientation, communal spaces and exterior spaces ...
It has to do with architecture.
SOFT PERFORMANCES imply more subjective conditions,
such as privacy, flexibility, spaciousness, relation with nature
and safety and security... It has to do with sensations, the
atmosphere and the perception of the space.
97
In order to identify the performances of an urban form we shall
use the 8 House in Copenhagen by BIG Architects which, as
we observed in the previous chapter, is a good example to
promote the compact active city.
The hard performances of the building have their origins in the
design process. These performances are architectural variables
chosen by the author once the urban criteria la id out in the
master plan have been accepted.
These are decisions which have profound implications on the
typology and functioning of the building.
98 99
ACCESSES
VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL
Staircases, ellevators and streets
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The diversity of typologies produces

the variety of accesses, ranging from
651Vl
the open galleries or streets to the
vertical cores with stairs and lifts. Most
vertical cores are located on the fa-
<;ades facing the street so as to attain
more active building performance re-
garding the setting.

230M
11OM

Every blue-vertical-arrow shows the location of an staircase and

elevator and each circle the access to the streets
100 101
CIRCULATIONS
THE MOEBIUS STRIP
Street in the sky
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

This is a wallkable and cyclable block in

the sense you can promenade follow- 65M
ing~ the public path which goes up and
down around the whole building.
This round performs a leading role in
the design of the building.
This building reminds us the stepped
streets of the Spanish village of Fri-
giliana in Malaga, where Bjarke Ingels
went once on holidays.
The idea is a landscape subversion by
the introduction of an artificial moun-
tain* in the flat plain of Copenhagen.
The slope is over the norm in Denmark,
but authorities accepted the solution
*Previously BIG and JDS, did that with the
230M
because it has rest-areas beside. Mountain Building also in Orestad.
110M

The horizontal circulations are open

102 103
TYPES OF DWELLINGS
THE DIVERSITY OF A
NEIGHBOURHOOD
A B c
Terraced houses, apartments and TERRACED HOUSES APARTMENTS PENTHOUSE
penthouses
...........................................................
65M
It seeks the integration of all possible
types in a block, to achieve the vitality
of a neighbourhood. The ai m is to get
diversity.
Three different typo logies on a com -
mercia l, offices and nursery base have
been superimposed:
A Terrace houses on the bottom circu-
lation double-ring
B Apartments in the middle and
C Penthouses on t he upper circulation
p
double-ring

230M
110M

Terraced houses on the bottom circulation double -ring

Apartments in the middle
Penthouses on the upper circulation double-ring
104 105
This is a picture of a traditional Potato-Row House, BIG1tries to re -convert old typologies, with the
in Central Copenhagen same idea of a front-private courtyard
106 107
 65M

ORIENTATION
CROSS VENTILATION
Most of the dwelllings are east-west
orientated
................................................................................

In a dwelling block, a minimum of two-

side facades assures cross ventilation
and better thermal regulation in all
110M
seasonal conditions.
This is the case of all the 8 House
dwellings.
Furthermore, the volume has been
crushed down in its South corner to fa-
w
cilitate the entrance of sunlight. WINTER SOLSTICE 12:00 H

651V

230\.1

s
SUMMER SOLSTICE 12:00 H
108 109
COMMUNAL SPACES
THE SOCIAL TOWER
Mullt ipurpose spaces stacked
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

In this block alii the communal func-

tions have been concentrated in the
65M
po in t where the figure 8 crosses itself.
This is a social tower of empty space ty-
ing or linking the House together from
basement to attic. It contains meeting
rooms, canteen fo r parties with kitchen
and outdoor spaces for barbecues. Its
cladding is made of aluminium gold
composite panels, in order to be dis-
ting~uished as a communal place within
the block.

230M
110M

It is an empty space
tying or linking the House together from basement to attic
110 111
EXTERIOR SPACES
ORGY OF SPACES
Plazas, courtyards, stepped streets,
quays, front gardens and roof gardens
..........................................................................

Bjarke Ingels refers to an IIOrgy of

65M
spaces// when he speaks about 8 House P(EXT)
because the variety of types.
Some of them are publlic, some semi-
public, some private and recreate the
diversity of exterior spaces in the his-
toric city.

01. North courtyard, in a Japanese style, with

cobblestones and grass mounds. 230M
02. South courtyard, with a lot of sunlight and 110M
exterior space for the kindergarten.

They recreate the diversity of exterior spaces in the historic city

01 02
112 113
Density is friendly owing to the subjective performances.
These performances are the last step in the entire process
of constructing the compact city, a process which starts off
dividing up solids and voids brought about by flluxes and
finishes up with perceptions such as privacy or safety.
This combination of decisions and conditions is synthesized
into a specific dwelling, located in a given building and setting,
which is what the user perceives.
The subjective performances of this dwelling come from its
interaction with the user and they only appear in the post-
occupancy period.
114 115
PRIVACY
BUFFER SPACE
Private outdoor space
............................................................................. •· ............. ·• ........................................ . .

Privacy is opposed to Community. The balance between both can be achieved

by means of architecture.
In the case of the dwelllings located opposite the high-rise streets/ privacy
is maintained by the terraces which act as intermediate spaces to buffer the
access.
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116 117
FLEXIBILITY
CONTROL BY THE USER
Double height ceilings

The rising shape permits large interior ceiling-heights in some dwellings.

The user can act on the interior space not just horizontally, but also vertically. In
some cases, double-height ceilings give the possibility to have a mezzanine or a
second level with casual uses. The apartment on the image below has 90 sqm.

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118 119
SPACIOUSNESS
UNIEXPECTED VIEWS
Floor plan at different levels
..................................................... ·• ......... "' ........................................................................................................ .

The different width of the ribbon and different height of the dwelling's section
allow variable future configurations of the interior layout.
This picture shows the richness of the spatial solution in this dwelling. Staircase,
two windows with different orientations, various floor levels, etc.
This row-house has 115 sqm.

120 121
RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE
BLURRING THE LIMITS
Big openings and exterior spaces
;, ;;, .............................. .................................................... . .... . . ................................ ·-......
;; ;; ;;, ;; ;; ;;, ;, .. .. ........ .......................... ;; ........ . ......................... ..... ......... .
;; ;; .,;,

All the dwelllings have large windows and outdoor space for users to feel the
proximity to the natural spaces in the surrounding area. Kalfebod Park and the
bird sanctuary offer a mid-distance natural setting while the private outdoor
spaces allow the residents to experience Biophilia, the sense of a connection
with nature, in a more immediate fashion, by growing their own plants. 1\
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122 123
SAFETY AND SECURITY
VISUAL CONTROL BY THE RESIDENTS
Open air circulations and protected courtyards
.......................... .......................................... •·.......... ·• ...................................... .
,

Visual surveillance from the dwellings is crucial! in order to prevent the common
spaces from becoming areas of conflict, to this end all the horizontal circulation
elements are open.
Public space runs continuously and safely, facilitating children's movements from
the dwelling to the courtyard play-areas.
By night, stepped streets are generously lightened to provide safety and 1\
security at the same time.
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124 125
SENSE OF COMMUNITY
EASY RESIDENT ENCOUNTERS
Great variety of communal spaces
.......................... .......................................... •·.......... ·• ...................................... .
,

Social life invades up to the higher altitudes of this building. The dwellings
located up, due to the sky street, are rooted in the community because they are
accessible, openly and directly by foot, from the ground floor. Altitude does not
mean isolation in this case.

At the South corner, a cafe serves as meeting point for the whole area and faces the canal.

All these performances, hard and

soft, shape solids and interact with
voids enhancing or making worse
the intrinsic characteristics of the
urban form.
126 127
•
•
on

We would like to underline the importance of the self-sufficient

urban block as a piece of clean density. We've selected an
example in which the main feature is the behaviour of the
inhabit ants
In 2006, the city of Helsinki approved the Master Plan for this
harbour area near the city centre.
Finland has one of the world's largest per capita ecological
footprint.
In order to reduce carbon emissions, the Master Plan
establishes a similar density to that of Barcelona. This is
the winning project of the competition and its aim was to
consider the city as a living factory of ecology. This block is an
experiment within the Plan, combining uses, and this is new,
educating user-habits. This block and the whole neighborhood,
should be a sort of living factory of ecological behaviour. It
should be the first carbon neutral district in Finland.
130 131
•
•
r1n

.......
.... ... )',,
..........
,.,.. . ~

... ......... .
• • • • II.~· •••••• • •••

·::'4·
... ·..........
·::::::::.
~

.
.... . . . . . ....
.....
. .,.......
... . . .
• • • .g. ... 0 •

The project is called Low2No (from low emissions to

no emissions) and is designed by Sauerbruch Hutton in
collaboration with Arup. We can see that, as in the Renault Site
in Paris, here we have an open urban block.
The volumes in blue are devoted to housing: family-apartments,
elderly assisted units and a student residence. All of the podium LOW2NO
surface is dedicated to offices and retail. There is not car park ARUP, SAUERBRUCH HUDON, EXPERIENTIA
underground. HELSINKI, FINLANID 2009
132 133
•
• • •
Ul 1n e c ean ens1

01. SYSTEMS
Highly efficient underfloor heating
Narrow floor plans to enable
natural ventilation
Utili ising excess heat from building
High performance ventilation
heat recovery 6%
Installations along the
perimeter of the build ing .
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

02. MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION

Laminated wood structure
for the dwellings
Recycled concrete for the
podium structure
Lightweight cladding with
high solar heat gain .
. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .

03. GREEN AND

\. I /

CULTIVATION SPACES -0 -
1 I '

Level 0. (/Wood layers" at ground level

Level 3. Semi-public gardens above the
base
Levels 3-6. South orientation greenhouses
Green roof+ rainwater storage tank
..........................................................

134 135
• 40%

01 02
PUBLIC DISPLAY ELECTRIC CARS

But the most striking thing in this project is the importance given
to behavior. Here there are some of the 50 behavioral features
that the residents should follow:
01 Public billboards will show the emissions and consumption of
03 04
each building, so every building will compete to reduce its POCKET GREEN HOUSES INCUBATOR CENTRE

own figures.
02 Communal electric cars will be available to be shared.
03. Private pocket greenhouses must provide 10% of vegetables
consumption of each family.
04 An Incubator Centre, located within the block, will spread
information about ecological behavior.
05 Renewable energy will be obtained from a wind farm outside
the plot financed by the owners.
06 Working and living within the block will be an advantage for
05 06
taking green mortgages, which means 20% lower interest rate. WORKING NEAR BY RENEWABLE ENERGY

136 137
 we were to ask ourselves what the
desired house really was,
most of us would recognize that we
have an ideal photo in mind.
It would be even more embarrassing,
if we were to ask ourselves where
we live at present, in which type of
house, in which part of the city and
what plans we have for the future.
Suddenly, density ceases to be a
concept, something vital for the
planet, a ratio for judging plans.
Suddenly, density becomes an
uncomfortable subject which deeply
affects our decisions.
We know that the dense city has to
140
be built, but while building the city, we
can't forget the home.
The home for the citizen who will put
th1eir name on th~ e letterbox.
If we asked at the beginning what
density was, now you can be sure that
we were not referring to hyperdensity.
For us density is the good balance of
population and uses, the sustainable
way of living together, the successful
performances of the buildings.
We need to live in dense cities and must
tran~ sform such a need into desire. Let's
turn Density into home, and each home
into our home.
a+t research group
141
Densityseries