Rum for fællesskab

Rum for fællesskab is a Realdania initiative to give communities across Denmark a physical frame for what they already do — a catalogue of light, demountable structures that local groups help assemble, adapt and pass on, to be built in at least a hundred places. Superpool took part in the three-week design strategy phase in the autumn of 2023. This was our proposal.

Invitation should be there – a place to sit underneath a tree, rooms with sky ceilings and views of life. Even with no one there to give you permission – you are invited to enjoy being here this moment. There is no other place like this anywhere else.

As designers we are curious of what makes a place inviting, what speaks the language of generosity, and like many before us we search for a sense of belonging. We look for ways to separate the essential from the subsidiary, what exists and what is still missing. Then we put our heart into designing just that. Because we do not need more stuff, we need the invitation.

WHAT ALREADY EXISTS?

State of the art place-making kits are typically a catalogue of modular elements, providing a limited range of furniture and props such as seating, tables, movable walls and planters. This forced modularity often means compromised comfort, unintended inefficiency and cost.

We are ready to let go of modularity in exchange for more flexibility. Plenty of collapsible urban furniture that is easy to store already exists, and we would like to use what is available and works well.

WHAT IS MISSING?

We believe the focus needs to shift from basic props of tables and chairs to elements that help create a sense of space. Many pioneers of urban design have studied human behaviour to identify the elements that make us feel drawn to a place:

• definition of the ground
• a sense of enclosure
• trees and natural landmarks

We are interested in how the brief of Rum for fællesskab furthers this inquiry into elements that help create attractive spaces. We call them the space-making elements.

WHERE IS THE OPPORTUNITY?

We choose to divide the elements described in the brief into two fundamentally different categories: collapsibles and volumes.

Collapsibles are easy to store. Many of the living and meeting elements fall into this category and are readily available as beautiful, functional and often Danish designs. We would like to promote a carefully curated list of collapsibles. The list can easily adapt to input from communities and include modular systems for them to build to their needs.

Volumes mark places. Storage and production elements identified in the brief fall into this category. Typically designed as benign boxes, storage elements tend to add nothing to a site, and it is a disappointment to find them locked when not in use. We propose to re-imagine storage as living volumes and place them at the heart of this design brief.

FOUR SCENARIOS

What follows are ideas for how space-making elements, a curated list of collapsibles and living volumes could look in the life of young people and outdoor enthusiasts.

MEETING UNDER THE TREE

The local mushroom group meets under the big beech in Sct. Hans Have to compare and inspect the day's finds. They have lifted the tables out of the seating elements under the tree, and the children are glad to finally sit down and be in each other's company on the dry round platform the parents have set up too.

THE RED ROOM

Since a half-moon platform was set up by the neighbourhood's legal graffiti wall, podcast evenings have become a regular fixture through the summer months. The movable posts can be arranged in different configurations, and the circle is a favourite of the group of teenage girls running tonight's event. They have pulled the string lights, the floor, the bar and the folding chairs out of the half-moon, and the stage is set.

RIGHT TO REPAIR IN MY COURTYARD

A group of young people have had enough of the unused and forgotten bicycles piling up in their courtyard. They have decided to fix them and turn them into the housing association's shared bikes. They borrow the mobile workshops from the local library. The workshops are often in use, but they are easy to reserve through the library's ordinary lending portal.

DOTS IN THE LANDSCAPE

On the beautiful and sometimes endless Danish shoreline, a Dot has become a new focal point for several different communities. They all hold a key to the well-equipped beach cabinet, but even unopened, the jetty still offers an informal meeting place.

TOOLS FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

To have richer conversations with communities about user scenarios, we have developed HEY! Event cards under the Open Urban Practice initiative.

The cards are designed to work together with a set of urban guidelines to explore the limits and opportunities a place offers, encouraging everyone to think of activities and spaces to imagine an enjoyable city together.

MAINTENANCE AS COMMUNITY PROGRAM

As much as we need good designs to support public life, we believe that we also need hosts and curation at the national level to link places to each other and to ensure the overall success of the Rum for fællesskab programme.

For this purpose, the inevitable maintenance needs provide the perfect excuse to imagine new rituals of co-creation. Below are suggestions for a lighting festival, an artist-led programme with outdoor looms to co-create carpets and soft surfaces, and a yearly competition for best kept community gardens. Let us make maintenance a reason to celebrate.

Thank you for the last three weeks and the opportunity to think more deeply on what makes public spaces become loved and well-used.

As we think of our favourite public settings, we are amazed by how many different people, institutions and communities participate in their success, and we believe strongly in welcoming what already works. If selected, we look forward to contributing with an interest in public space design, mindful of both the city and the object scale, and to learning together how to support the communities caring for our togetherness and public life.