Aarhus Master Plan
Competition Acquisition, Third Prize
Aarhus, Denmark
1999

This award winning entry for an international competition was submitted in collaboration with Danish architect Bjarke Ingles (BIG). Looking for a solution to its piecemeal urban situation, the city of Aarhus organized a competition to redefine its industrial port areas integrating industrial, residential, and recreational zones into a unified and productive urban area. The proposed project provides a connection between the city and the separated port. This connection is created by developing permanent public art installations and venues placed at key infrastructural nodes acting as links between differing urban areas. The different areas are organized in a series of concentric rings.

In addition to providing infrastructural connections, the proposal introduces two distinct geographical morphologies: islands and lagoons. Through them, Aarhus at once gains diverse ecological domains and particular identities. Each island in the plan can explore the potential of its unique position within the port and the city, and exploit its relationship to the water and transit infrastructure. The urban lagoons act as a Central Park, guaranteeing a moment of calm in the city while providing for attractive growth around its periphery.