Horsens:
Torsted Vest - a new and different neighbourhood
Horsens:
| |
| Country: | a) Northern Europe | ,b) Denmark |
| Language: | |
| Type: | Project, 1 |
| Area: | Outskirts, 20,000-100,000 |
| Actors: | Local government, Economic sector |
| Funding: | Local government, Economic Sector |
| Topics: | Architecture and construction |
| Building materials | |
| Cycling resources | |
| Housing (and new settlements) | |
| Objectives: | Increase cogeneration |
| Increase district heating | |
| Increase use of clean technology | |
| Increase use of ecological building materials | |
| Reduce energy consumption | |
| Reduce resource consumption | |
| Instruments: |
Torsted Vest is an approx. 55-hectar site on the south-west outskirts of the small Danish town of Horsens on the east coast of Jutland. In the late eighties, Horsens took part in the "Healthy Towns" competition of the WHO (World Health Organisation) along with a number of other European towns and tried to implement the objectives of this project in the Torsted Vest district. The basic mottos of the entire district planning are as follows: healthy, future-oriented building, user participation and ecology. The first project began in spring of 1990 with the road infrastructure, followed by the building begin in late summer of 1990. 52 co-operative housing units were ready for occupation by early 1992. Due to a recession in the Danish building industry, the entire project which encompasses 900 residential units and retail spaces, has been put on hold. Nevertheless the project has been included mainly for the following reasons:
Torsted Vest is an approx. 55-hectar site on the south-west outskirts of the small Danish town of Horsens on the east coast of Jutland. In the late eighties, Horsens took part in the "Healthy Towns" competition of the WHO (World Health Organization) along with a number of other European towns and tried to implement the objectives of this project in the Torsted Vest district. The basic mottos of the entire district planning are as follows: healthy, future-oriented building, user participation and ecology. A group of landscape planners - authors of a catalogue of ideas published by the Danish Council for the Development of Building Projects - produced a comprehensive concept for the entire area. The site was divided into individual lots and was to be sold to various private developers and to be planned by different architects according to sustainable guidelines. A citizen's action group formed in conjunction with this matter, supporting the concept of sustainable urban expansion with the development of a point programme to which all prospective developers and their architects were to adhere.
The first project began in spring of 1990 with the road infrastructure, followed by the building begin in late summer of 1990. The Falch & Volden group of architects settlement was the first to be built and was composed of 52 co-operative housing units with flexible modules with movable partitions allowing for variable dwelling sizes of between one and four room-apartments. The Kuben Administration housing cooperative is the developer of these first buildings. The dwellings were ready for occupation by early 1992. A building containing 18 apartments specially designed for young people and a union house built jointly by three unions have already been built. Numerous further projects are still in the planning stages. Due to a recession in the Danish building industry, the entire project which encompasses 900 residential units and retail spaces, has been put on hold.
In 1987/88 the town council took the formal resolution to initiate the project with the WHO theme of "Healthy Towns", and invited citizens to take active part in it. In response to this, fifty or sixty interested parties formed a citizen's initiative, dubbed the local "Torsted Vest Committee", which played an active role in the planning process, made its own recommendations, participated in the evaluation of submitted projects and was to act as a kind of "legal advisor" for prospective residents. The town council itself delegated authority to citizens and officials, trying to keep a low profile throughout the entire process in order to allow space for dynamic involvement. The original hierarchical structure headed by politicians and the town council quickly became a structure of citizens, politicians, developers and officials with equal say in the matter.
Participants were less interested in good architecture, aesthetics or a diversity of environmentally conscious ideas, and more concerned with allowing different lifestyles to be realized individually. The idea of building each plot of land according to different ecological precepts led to what had originally seemed to be narrow guidelines being quickly revealed as open to wide interpretation. No stipulations for the design of the outdoor spaces existed.
Initially, prospective developers displayed great interest, although it must be said that in this regard citizen participation proved to be problematic. The developers expected the matter to be processed quickly and effectively; an expectation that could not be fulfilled in the framework of the somewhat cumbersome process of citizen participation. The less interested parties could not come to terms with this and quickly abandoned the project. Nonetheless the Torsted Vest project continued to emphasize the end result and the building process, from the planning phase through realization to the use of the district.
The involvement of the politicians in this project facilitated the changes that had to be made to the development plan. In 1990 the concept submitted by the "Gruppen for By-Og Landskapsplanlaeging a/s" urban planners was approved.
The planning of Torsted Vest proved to be a very labour-intensive process. However, since those involved were convinced that they were dealing with an investment in the future, they showed consistent commitment. One office coordinated the numerous activities, produced the programme for all participants that included the conditions of purchase, settlement regulations, urban design concept, etc. and distributed information about the project locally, nationally and internationally. The office also dealt with public relations locally and organized a town exhibition on the theme of "Building With Care" in 1992 to coincide with the 550th anniversary of the conferment of the town charter to Horsens. Beyond this, this kind of organization guaranteed a continuing dialogue within and without the local system.
Urban design
The site was originally intended to encompass 900 residential units, civic facilities, smaller retail spaces and expansive green spaces. The first phase comprised 400 residential units, various business premises, public facilities and an environmentally sensitive park. The Danish building industry recession mentioned above resulted in the stagnation of the project after the first 70 residential units had been completed. The individual developments of the planned areas had to fulfil a number of conditions stipulated in the area zoning plan, the development plan, the conditions of purchase and the so-called intentions agreement. Rich diversity of design and development of the area was aimed at combined with a close integration of the various elements (businesses, residential units, public facilities, service industry, etc.)
Baubiologie and quality of life
The bill of sale also obliges the developers to ensure "that no materials, substances, constructs, site designs, detail solutions or methods of working may be used that could be hazardous to health and security during the implementation and running of the project in so far as less dangerous materials etc. could be used." Developers are required to select their materials very carefully to minimize damage to the environment, i.e. taking into consideration consumption of natural resources and energy, embodied energy, offgassing, durability and recycling.
In the first settlement in Torsted Vest, the plan was to construct the buildings using 90% recycled materials. Bricks cleaned by hand were to be used, but within a very short period however this proved too costly and not feasible. On the other hand it proved easy to produce and use an insulating mixture of recycled concrete and clay for intermediate floors. Coloured tiles salvaged from demolished structures form the cost-efficient exterior ornamentation of the buildings. Walkways, parking lots and streets are also made of recycled crushed concrete and brick material.
Layout
The layouts of the individual residences are designed to allow a size variation from a one-room to a four-room apartment. A great deal of emphasis was placed on flexibility as well as on cost-efficiency. The buildings are placed next to each other to form a U-shape. The balconies face the inside of this shape, creating semi-public spaces, which are accessible to everyone from the outside and also "are to be used as communal assembly areas", but which are also very private due to their direct attachment to the building and their lack of visual accessibility.
User participation
This term designates the participation of prospective users of the area in the widest sense, including neighbours or other interested parties as well as the residents themselves. This was an attempt to shift the boundaries of rigid competencies and to go beyond the usual delegation of spheres of authority. A number of interested citizens formed a committee and planted a total of 12,000 trees to demonstrate the practicalities of restoring the land to nature. According to the conditions of purchase, the developer is obliged to cooperate with the user group, particularly as far as developments which benefit the public are concerned. An artistic concept of Prof.Poul Gernes of Copenhagen was implemented in cooperation with the residents. The tenants were responsible for the colouration of individual parts of buildings as well as the ornamentation of buildings with recycled tiles, and were assisted in this by Prof. Gernes.
Energy
According to the special regulations the entire development was to be geared towards low energy consumption. Decentralized, cogeneration facilities that run on natural gas for individual buildings or several buildings grouped together provide energy for heating and electricity. In the first building phase large cogeneration facilities were put into operation for the first 70 residential units, although it could have supplied far more residences than were built. The town planner of the area commented on the investment by saying that it was "like driving to the bakery in a Rolls Royce". At that point in time no one could have foreseen a building industry recession. The cogeneration facilities run on gas, but otherwise the settlement is connected to the local services. Monitoring of the cogeneration facilities' supply by an energy supply company is planned. The original plan to use passive and active solar energy was scrapped in favour of the cogeneration facilities. Conservatories or larger glass elements would no doubt have broken up the facade somewhat and would have done the somewhat austere architecture no harm. The union house built as an "Energy-efficient building" is equipped with heat recovery and solar collectors for water-heating.
Electrical installation
Electromagnetic smog was not taken into consideration in the Torsted Vest project. Quite the opposite - the laying of conduits in preparation for electronic networks in the dwellings was advocated in the special development regulations as a special building method of the future. The connection to the "two-way information network for telephone, word-processing, television and radio" is also included in the required installation standard of the dwellings. The application of EDP during the building process was also supported and promoted.
Water
Water-saving plumbing fixtures are obligatory. In addition in the buildings that have already been completed, rainwater is used for flushing toilets and running washing machines. Difficulties were experienced in this regard with the town's public utilities which wanted to impose higher fees for the disposal of the rainwater because of the high costs already incurred in the developed area. In the end politicians were able to facilitate an exemption of the area of Torsted Vest. Care was taken to seal as few surfaces as possible to allow for natural rainwater drainage.
Landscaping
The regulations state that:"Green spaces are to be designed according to ecological precepts and the site is to be protected during construction work." It must be said however, that the landscaping concept realised so far is somewhat sparse. Apart from the 12,000 trees planted by the citizens of Horsens, ecology is not very tangible. Whereas most sustainable settlements are distinguished by lush, prolific greenery, in Torsted Vest this feature is characterized by its absence. Some distance to one side of the settlement and not visible from the outside there are a row of small gardens beside a chicken coop that are used by the residents to grow vegetables and herbs. Basically all that can be said on the subject of the landscaping concept is a description of what is planned for the entire site. A botanically diverse environmentally sensitive park of approx. 4 hectars is planned with a water area as well as a central communal composting heap as a reminder of nature's life cycles.
Traffic
Residential streets provide access to the completed settlement. The walkways to the individual building entrances were produced with recycled materials. Noteworthy is the presence of two large sheltered bicycle racks in the small settlement. In the overall concept limited traffic zones with a speed limit of 30 km/hr and in the squares of only 15 km/hr are planned. Traffic is to be concentrated and kept remote from the clusters of houses by a traffic axis running straight through the settlement area.
Refuse
A screened area in the settlement fenced in by coloured wooden boards is provided for special refuse separation. At present two composting heaps are available for organic refuse. As mentioned above, once development in the Torsted Vest district has been completed, a large communal composting heap is planned as a hands-on demonstration of the life cycles of nature.
Social concept
The architectural structure of the first building phase should promote social contact between residents. Large balconies positioned between the buildings with access from all dwellings could theoretically be used as communal assembly areas. The dwellings in the co-operative housing project will for the most part be let to small, low-income families, single parents or others in low-income groups. A share of the proceeds from the sale of the property is put towards the financing of the central town hall and recreation centre.
The town council provided the necessary funds to cover the increment costs and owns the properties. Consequently, as property owner, the town council stipulated in the bills of sale the condition that the special development regulations be adhered to. The first co-operative housing project was subsidized within a tight cost framework according to the Danish regulations for social housing.
The pilot project "Torsted Vest" was an attempt to put sustainable architecture into practice on a large scale whilst integrating social criticism into the existing planning, approval and building procedures. The limits of what was feasible as well as the limitations of the concept were however very quickly discovered.
The entire Torsted Vest project began very ambitiously: it could only be planned on such a scale and with such innovativeness because leading politicians supported, promoted and initiated the project. Because of the invitation to compete in the WHO (World Health Organization) competition on the theme of "Healthy Towns" the additional factor of improving the town's image also played a role. The Danish construction industry recession, which forced the project to be put on hold, could also endanger the original sustainable standards. The lack of interested parties presumably means that all prospective developers will be offered the most favourable conditions possible to encourage them to build at all. It is feared that the mandatory ecological guidelines for developing the property will be "negotiated away" out of cost considerations, and not adhered to. The fact that too many objectives were supposed to be implemented at once is also an area of contention. Even during the realization of the first small settlement so many cuts were made out of cost considerations that very little of the many original ecologically sensitive objectives were left in the end. The proposed detailed and structured urban planning concept has also not been taken into consideration to any great extent. The architecture itself does not give the impression of being particularly close to nature, and is not very distinctive. This leads to the assumption that in the pre-planning phase too little energy was put into thinking concretely about the adherence to the mandatory guidelines and that possibly the process aspect was overemphasized. It is doubtful in the present situation whether the concept in its full scope has even a chance of ever being implemented. Those involved, at least, remain optimistic.
| Name | : | Horsens Kommune |
| Firstname | : | |
| Telefon | : | +45 / 75 61 43 44 |
| Telefax | : | +45 / 75 61 31 72 |
| Address | : | Horsens Kommune |
| Radhuset | ||
| Radhustorvet 4 | ||
| 8700 Horsens | ||
| Danmark |
Horsens a town on the coast in the east of the island of Jutland, is the sixth largest provincial centre in Denmark. The local authority owns or operates 12,000 enterprises or utilities and employs 64,000 people. Economic life in Horsens and the surrounding area also includes a relatively large production sector, not least due to the electronics industry, which has seen considerable growth in the last number of years. In addition, major international businesses in metal manufacture, graphics, packaging, food and furnishings industries have set up branches or subsidiaries in Horsens and the surrounding area.
Project was added at 26.03.1998
Project was changed at 27.03.1998