This proposal for the development of the harbor in HARD AM BODENSEE finds meaning in the outstanding opportunities for leisure and natural experiences that Hard offers. The city lies at a confluence of mountains, meadows, and water, which makes it a special place that encapsulates the best of the Austrian alpine regions. While the German and Swiss parts of the lake Constance are characterized by private lakeside estates, Hard has the privilege of having the public shore. The city has embraced its civic responsibility, and has initiated this project to reconnect the lake, by creating new, tangible transitions and links between the water and land. These new interventions will provide publically accessible spaces for sport, activities, and liesure. The Hard

This urban planning concept is shaped by the natural conditions of the Dietenbach area. The scheme starts with a traditional network of closed urban blocks, which are adapted to unite the geometries of the local natural environment. The curving form of the Dietenbach and direct lines of Rieselfeld fuse together to form a cohesive and adaptable urban layout. This results in an efficient system of diverse spatial structures, which despite the compact scale of the site, create lively and varied neighborhoods with many green spaces. A “Green Backbone” runs the length of the new district, spanning between Mooswald forest and the Dietenbachpark with an extensive network of for flood protection measures, sunbathing lawns, and play areas. The existing green axis

  URBAN AGENCY, together with RKW Arkitektur, has been invited to design a new hotel at the southern entrance to Düsseldorf Media Harbor. The site at Kaistraße 1 is the last property of a development zone which has made both day and night activity a priority in the revitalization of the district. Towards that goal, this scheme proposes a mixed-use building that promotes maximum exchange between the interior and existing urban environment. The local plan specifies a maximum building volume, within which a series of volumes are stacked according to different criteria. The arrangement of the blocks serves to break down the scale of the building, and corresponds to the geometry of the surrounding urban context. Two high points establish

  This development proposal for Grand Xi Beach highlights the geographical value of Samick Beach, and the opportunity for views toward Busan, Gwangalli beach and Gwangan bridge. In order for Grand Xi Beach to become a landmark, complementing the profile of Gwangan Bridge, it was important to investigate different perspectives for urban skylines. This scheme includes two superimposed skylines which respond to different conditions in the unique urban landscape of Samick Beach. The upper skyline projects the strong local identity of this new development, with 11 towers of varying heights, while the lower skyline responds to the scale of life on the ground, a life rich in social interaction. The clean form of the upper skyline dissolves into more fragmented

Charlottenlundhave is an attractive location directly on the edge of the botanical garden in Charlottenlund, north of Copenhagen. The new residential buildings offer the opportunity to live surrounded by greenery, but in the middle of one of Denmark’s most attractive neighborhoods. The oblong shape of the site lies just east of Charlottenlund station. To get the most out of the site’s orientation and to minimize noise from the railway, we have placed the buildings as linear blocks that run perpendicular to the tracks. At the same time, the layout creates an optimal solar orientation and provides space nature to flow between the buildings. Each block is designed as a 3-storey stack of which shifts at each level to create terraces.

  Thy is a region on the west coast of Jutland, Denmark that is famous for its scenic fjord landscape. It is also the home of Cold Hawaii, a branded concept for 31 different locations along the coastline which are ideal for surfing. Together with Møller Grønborg and SlotherMøller, URBAN AGENCY has been invited to design Cold Hawaii Inland, a complementary network of water sports facilities along the fjord. All 10 Cold Hawaii Inland locations act as hinges between water and land. They bind those elements together, with comfortable spaces for activity and leisure. Each of the new locations has a unique natural characteristics and a variety of programs, but the entire network also represents a common ideology, which should

  The suburban relocation of Allianz has led to the previously scattered, smaller individual offices around the city to gather to form one large complex. The bold appearance of the new headquarters reinforces a strong, unitary image of the company. While the smaller departments are all situated in the same building, their diversity and individual characteristics remain intact. Freedom of space within the workplace replace the inner-city offerings of the former locations; we call this the 3D campus. The overall concept is characterized by the site’s proximity to nature and the integration of greenery into the project. This is reflected through the integration of courtyards, hanging gardens and outdoor terraces throughout the site whose presence bring an abundance of fresh

  The new marina proposal for Yeouinaru Ferry Terminal, positioned above the undulating Han River in Seoul, presents as a smart typological transformation: the simple bar is transformed into a ‘knotted’ three-dimensional platform promoting efficiency in the maintenance and structural safety of vessels. Continuously connected wooden surfaces in a 3D folded configuration give the impression of the user’s intimacy and connectivity to the water – blurring the line between outside waterfront and the internal terminal facilities. Bar-type marinas are efficient for the maintenance and structural safety of vessels and have a structure that supports the stable anchoring and management of ships of various sizes and functions. Hence, considering the efficiency and safety in the design, the bar-type platform is positioned

  The proposal for the Foum El Oued Technopole in Morocco can be seen not only as an opportunity to design a new campus of innovative architecture, technological innovation and merit but equally an opportunity to rethink the campus typology and carefully examine the ways it should perform for the sake of its multiple users and in a climatically intense environment. The new campus is devoted to research, innovation and training in the fields of science and technology with intent also to encourage sustainable development of the local population and environment through meticulous and thoughtful design choices. This proposal’s ambition, in terms of its architecture, is to reflect the philosophy of the technopole: establishing a dynamic centre and reference point

  Urban Agency, together with TNT Arkitekter, has been invited to design a new housing area in Nærheden located only thirty minutes from Copenhagen’s city center. With a high-density type required, the challenge faced in this project was to create a cosy, diverse housing area without the feeling of being overcrowded and tightly packed. The final urban planning of the estate is shaped by natural factors, it reacts to sunlight conditions and opens towards the green surroundings. With parking spots placed on the edge of the site, the central areas are saved for green, public squares dedicated for group activities of the inhabitants. The quality of the public spaces is enriched by an open-water management system and lush vegetation matching

  Although the MCH Messecenter in Herning is already the biggest exhibition centre in Denmark, that doesn’t hinder the plans for its future development from being very ambitious. URBAN AGENCY was invited to create a strategy that will make the complex a more attractive and coherent structure with a new focal point. The project aims to intersect two loops of circulation at the point of the new entrance to the building. The connecting routes are enriched by the presence of usable art (both permanent and temporal exhibitions) and plants (trees, green walls). The roof spreads over a circular space creating a unique event area, enhanced by versatile sloping ramps that are the perfect scenery for an outdoor concert but equally

  URBAN AGENCY has been commissioned to design public spaces and eighty-four new mixed-use buildings for the city of Midan in South Korea. The new development both accommodates local residents and tourists of Incheon Airport and provides new entertainment facilities for Midan City Yeongiong Island. One of the most challenging aspects of this project was to create a village that encapsulates dynamic design and a unique spatial identity whilst maintaining each building’s distinct individuality, despite the primarily commercial masterplan we were presented with. In pursuance of this, we will disperse a multitude of architectural and urbanistic interventions throughout the site, such as pavement design, an open terrace towards the park, an urban square and an abundance of street art. The

  Slagelse, a city strategically located at the point between Copenhagen and rest of Denmark, continues to undergo major transformations: Initially residing with the typical medieval city’s urban and street structure, then evolving through increased industrialisation supported by the railway development and further advancing with the establishment of shopping center in the 1970’s – each of these periods left a stamp in the city’s structure. The old town, train station and shopping mall are all located within a one-kilometre radius and can all be interpreted as an anchor in the town, each acting as main focal points of the city. Unfortunately, the area inbetween does not provide them with proper connections so they do not support each other and are

TThe aim of the competition for a school for 900 pupils in Lurup, one of Hamburg’s districts, was designing a stimulating and comfortable education venue for students, faculty and the surrounding community alike. Given the vast cultural programme proposed such as a community center, library, small theater, auditorium and sports hall, the project is set to become the focal point of the entire district, despite it’s central but hidden location in the “second row” – striving to create a neighbourhood magnet luring residents all day long. The school will have two entrances; the first in direct contact with the existing building and the second leading to the only road from which the building can be directly visible in the urban

The ten town villas are placed as a chain in the hilly landscape and relate both to the 5-6 storey houses of the new development and the small-scale houses of the village itself. The town villa typology has a small volume compared to the traditional social housing slab, combining the qualities of the one-family house with the density of the multi-storey housing typology. The access system and the common outside terrace area melt together as wide wooden bridges, including entrance zones for the units and terrace spaces. This creates housing with a strong community and a high level of safety. The buildings are planned according to the principles of the German DGNB certification system.

The major challenge of our design proposal is to enhance the area around the train station as a new gate to the city of Kronberg, Germany. The new ensemble of chamber music hall, Kronberg Academy and Hotel has been carefully designed to blend in with the station’s forecourt. The unique design of the chamber music hall has evolved from the unique characteristics of the landscape, the idea of ”flow” is to allow the landscape by means of a set-through foyer through the building. The building itself receives its special sculptural form through the curved design of the building’s envelope. Curved wall cutouts allow large-scale, column-free openings, theses characteristics shape the halls and also the exterior facades form.

In 2008 URBAN AGENCY, together with Vandkunsten Architects, won a two-stage urban planning competition for the development of the “Kløvermarken” quarter in Copenhagen. The project comprised the development of a new urban district with about 900,000 m2 of floor-area for housing, public and commercial use. Organised around the existing football fields, the project was designed with a focus on public health and sustainable living. URBAN AGENCY has worked on the project from inception to development plan and has been responsible for the development of a design manual for landscape architecture and public space.