For a city that prides itself on being at the pinnacle of urban development, the area in front of Central Station facing Vesterbrogade isn’t the most charming of settings in Copenhagen.
The indomitable hordes of parked bicycles and gaping expanse looking down onto the railway tracks (known as ‘the hole’ by locals) doesn’t exactly endear itself to the modern and green urban space the Danish capital has hung it hat on in recent years. But help may be on the way.
The architecture firm NOBEL Arkitekter has proposed giving the area a facelift that would better utilise the space, filling it with trees and providing more space for activities and cyclists.
“I’ve lived in Copenhagen my entire life and drive past the hole every day,” Erik Nobel, the head of NOBEL Arkitekter, told Metroxpress newspaper.
“It annoys me having to look down into that pit and see all that mess. It’s a waste of space and it’s hardly the nicest thing to set your eyes on as the first thing when you arrive in the city.”
READ MORE: Nørrebro urban park wins Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Inspiration for future
The proposal would close up ‘the hole’ and offer a big square stretching between Hotel Astoria and the Panoptikon Building, as well as a gradual decline of steps leading to the edge of Vesterbrogade.
The underground bicycle parking would offer room for 2,000 bicycles and help eliminate one of the central reasons for the current chaos by the entrances to the station.
However, it is only a proposal and there is no guarantee City Hall will embrace its potential or have the funds needed to act upon it.
