Architecture for communities is at the centre of the work of Copenhagen-based architecture studio WERK. In the exhibition Tales of the City, 14 presented buildings and public squares can be experienced in an entirely new mode of perception and personal way. For each architectural work, the Danish-German writer and social commentator Knud Romer tells a short story based on his own associations and recollections. He contextualizes the works within society and provokes with unexpected questions. In combination with delicate models and sketches, the exhibition Tales of the City creates an alternative and entertaining insight, stimulates the visitors’ imagination and documents how architecture affects human beings and society. The presented projects from Denmark and Germany range from sport and leisure facilities to work environments, housing and urban spaces all focussing on community. This mindset as well as the holistic approach of offering social, climatic and infrastructural solutions are what characterises WERK’s work and are reflected in all the projects.
Horbelev Kulturgård, Horbelev, DK; WERK © Santiago De La Vega | Creative Blocks, Hamburg, DE; WERK © WERK
To quote Thomas Kock, founder and creative director of WERK: “Each project in the exhibition is accompanied by Knud Romer's personal stories and opinions, adding poetic and diverse dimensions to architecture that will undoubtedly stimulate the visitors. Our goal is to create an architectural experience with a lot of opinions. We hope that visitors will open their eyes to how architecture and communities can contribute to solving current societal challenges.”
One of the 14 projects presented in the exhibition is the Sportstårnet, which is a proposal for addressing the growing problem of limited space for sports facilities in the city. Instead of occupying large areas for just one sports field, the pitches are stacked on top of each other. This creates space for various sports facilities and new communities in dense urban areas. WERK's Sportstårnet is designed in wood as an open and unheated structure, with only nets between the load-bearing wooden beams.
In his story about this project, Knud Romer talks about what truly led him to the sports hall when he played handball in his youth. Again, it's about community and relationships: “What I really wanted to score though – and the entire reason why I went down to the sports hall – were the girl handball players from NFH Nykøbing F. Handball Club.” (Excerpt from Knud Romer’s recollection in the exhibition on the project Sportstårnet.)
Grønttorvet, Copenhagen, DK; WERK © wichmann+bendtsen photography | Sportstårnet, Copenhagen, DK; WERK © WERK | Stubkaj, Kopenhagen, DK; WERK © wichmann+bendtsen photography
The Exhibition
The exhibition invites visitors to listen and experience the tales in German and English by writer and social commentator Knud Romer in combination with models as well as a collection of different materials and objects referring to the projects by WERK. The exhibition is a synergy of architectural models, personal recollections, social comments and visions of community, and it gives the visitor an insight into how architecture affects human beings and society.
The Projects
Among the 14 projects on show from urban and rural contexts in Denmark and Germany are:
Carl Nielsens Allé, Copenhagen, DK, finished 2023
The former car park is now transformed into an urban space with a lush green park for everyone to enjoy. During heavy rainfall, the green oasis becomes a beautiful water reservoir, detaining the rainwater. Some of the uses of this urban green space are a barrier against traffic, a piece of furniture providing shelter and a place to rest as well as a way to store and channel rainwater.
Herfølge Bjergby, Herfølge, DK, under construction
Herfølge Bjergby is for everyone who appreciates being in a community with others and living in scenic surroundings. The vision for Herfølge Bjergby is a neighbourhood with mixed housing for people from all social groups; young and old, singles and families, the well off and the not so well off. The homes span from tiny houses to do-it-yourself dream houses made from sustainable materials such as clay, straw and seaweed. The new village will be a place where everyone contributes to the common good.
Carl Nielsens Allé, Copenhagen, DK; WERK © wichmann+bendtsen photography | Herfølge Bjergby, Herfølge, DK; WERK © WERK
Maritimt Center in Esbjerg, Esbjerg, DK, finished 2022
The project brings together clubs and associations at Port Esbjerg. It offers ample space for all types of visitors, including rowers, students visiting the harbour to catch crabs, and curious passers-by interested in maritime matters or seeking a location to take in the breathtaking view of the North Sea. An atrium situated within the circular structure provides the setting for communal gatherings and protection from the elements.
The following projects will also be shown:
Creative Blocks, a housing cooperative project in Hamburg, DE, under construction
Den Grønne Løber, affordable housing in Hamburg, DE, under construction
Grønttorvet, masterplan and green space for a neighbourhood in Copenhagen, DK, finished 2023
Garden in front of the National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen, DK, finished 2014
Hauser Plads, modern urban space in the centre of the medieval city of Copenhagen, DK, finished 2013
Horbelev Kulturgård, Horbelev, DK, finished 2016
Mødestedet, office building made of wood in Gladsaxe, DK, under construction
Rødovre Rådhusfunktioner, Town Hall in Rødovre, DK, under construction
Sportstårnet, Copenhagen, DK, under construction
Stubkaj, housing in Copenhagen, DK, finished 2023
BørneHAVEN, a kindergarten in Hamburg, DE, under construction
Maritimt Center, Esbjerg, DK; WERK © wichmann+bendtsen photography | Garden in front of the National Gallery Denmark, Copenhagen, DK; WERK © wichmann+bendtsen photography
About WERK
WERK is a progressive Danish architecture office – today with a team of 30 architects, landscape architects, and planners, led by four partners: Thomas Kock (Creative Director and Founder), Nikolaj Frølund Thomsen (Architecture and Construction), Signe Hertzum (Landscape) and Henrik Thomas Faurskov (Planning). Through interdisciplinary collaboration, they develop strong concepts and strategies within urban planning, landscape, and construction with the mission of creating positive societal changes through architecture. In all their projects, from town halls, office buildings, schools, housing to urban spaces, community is their architectural signature with the aim of making our cities more vibrant, beautiful, and green as well as places of encounter. According to WERK, architecture truly comes to life when we use it, and when our own and others' life stories unfold and intertwine – together forming our collective life in the city.
About Knud Romer
Knud Romer is a Danish-German author, radio host, and social commentator. He made his debut in 2006 with Den som blinker er bange for døden (English: The One Who Blinks Is Afraid of Death), which received awards such as De Gyldne Laurbær and Weekendavisens Literature Prize. Since then, he has published Kort over Paradis (2018) (English: The River that Runs both Ways) and Pigen i violinen (2021) (only published in Danish). Knud Romer is also known for his appearances on several Danish TV programmes and as an actor in Lars Von Trier's Idioterne (English: The Idiots). Romer studied literature at the University of Copenhagen and is an award-winning concept developer in the advertising industry. He continues to write, and in this exhibition, he serves as the narrator, placing architecture in a social perspective and societal context.
Thomas Kock, Creative Director and Founder of WERK, and Knud Romer, Writer © wichmann+bendtsen photography | Den Grønne Løber, Hamburg, DE; WERK © WERK
Project Sponsors
Dreyers Fond, Knud Højgaards Fond, GH Form, Peter Aalbæk Jensen, Luchterhandt, Robert C. Spies, Groenewold Tiedemann Griffel, Harris, Gammelrand, Wehlers, Front Nordic
