DISSING+WEITLING architecture and KRAGH & BERGLUND landscape architects are among the Danish companies participating in Asia’s biggest design event and attraction, Beijing Design Week 2018. Together, the two companies represent the Danish human-centred way of designing public architecture and urban spaces.
This year, Copenhagen is the official guest city for Beijing Design Week, taking place from 25 September to 5 October 2018. Several Danish companies will move to Beijing’s creative 751 D-Park and 798 Art District and present Danish lifestyle, culture and sustainable urban developments.
Sharing common urban challenges
Both DISSING+WEITLING architecture and KRAGH&BERGLUND landscape architects are experienced players in the Chinese market with extensive knowledge of Chinese-Danish collaborations. They know the challenges China and Denmark share when it comes to city planning and architecture: increased traffic congestion, environmental issues, pollution, lack of green spaces and demographic challenges. Partner and Managing Director at DISSING+WEITLING architecture Steen Savery Trojaborgsays, said,
“Beijing Design Week is an opportunity to strengthen our good relations with Chinese contractors and local urban experts, while at the same time showing some of our projects that are relevant to China. The Bicycle Snake, for example, is a significant example of how we work to enhance mobility in a dense city, saving commuters time and simultaneously adding value in terms of developing hospitable and inclusive cities. As Danish architects and urban planners, our aim is to design good environments for the people who live, work and spend time in the city. We believe in exporting this Danish way of focusing on the users and context in the centre of a project.”
Jonas P. Berglund, partner and co-owner of KRAGH&BERGLUND landscape architects, added,
“Since 2005 we have had a local Chinese studio at the Danish Culture Centre in Beijing managed by our Chinese partner Jasmine Wang. Beijing Design Week is a great opportunity for us to meet our local clients and create new relations. As Danish landscape architects and planners, we share a strong tradition of human-oriented approaches to design and sharing knowledge. Seen as a whole, we have a strong commitment to envision and produce a variety of inclusive architecture and urban spaces that accommodate the needs of the many. We have a focus on designing with nature and our democratic ambitions are to prioritise mobility, connectivity and accessibility both between people and cities and between regions.”
Exhibition, pop-up event and talks
On 29 September, the two companies will be hosting a pop-event at the Danish Culture Centre in Beijing, where Kragh & Berglund also has its local Chinese studio. The pop-event will be in addition to several other events and talks taking place during Beijing Design Week.
DISSING+WEITLING’s Steen Savery Trojaborg will give a talk, From small to great – Copenhagen reclaimed, at the ‘Small Planet, Great Architecture’ conference on 28 September. The talk will give examples of how architecture can help cities become greener and more liveable while at the same time solving pragmatic problems and creating positive side effects.
KRAGH&BERGLUND’s Jonas P. Berglund will give a talk at the Danish Embassy on 26 September: Making cities inclusive, spontaneous and playful. He will illustrate why and how people and cities will benefit by having more inclusive, spontaneous and playful public spaces.
Besides the Bicycle Snake, other DISSING+WEITLING projects on display in Beijing are the Åbuen Bridge, the major coast-to-coast link in Guangdong, the Shenzhen-Zhongshan link, with the world’s widest immersed road tunnel, two major suspension bridges and two iconic artificial islands. In addition, the Xiamen Bicycle Skyway, Xiamen Footpath and Stonecutters Bridge in Hong Kong will be on show for the exhibition’s visitors.
KRAGH&BERGLUND will exhibit projects, too: the Happy and play Yixing activity square, the spontaneous and intuitive movement park ‘Rågsved sports park’, the ‘PLUGandPLAY’ temporary alternative sports area, ‘The Danish Association of the Physically Disabled’ – a universally designed coast management facility and park, ‘BLOX – Bryghusgrunden’ – an active outdoors project and ‘Generationernes hus’ – a house of generations for social living.