City at the crossroads

Aalborg’s origins can be traced back 1300 years to the narrowest stretch of the fjord.

The town developed at the crossroad between the routes for land and sea travel becoming a major northern European centre for trade and commerce. The stream delta and the flood plains adjacent to the fjord set the scene for the city’s early development. Today, the medieval and renaissance city’s town centre is still identified by its streets and buildings rich in both history and experience.

Industrial development was rapid during the first half of the 20^th Century, with its skyline of smoking chimneystacks becoming a part of the city’s identity. But the citys future lays now in an information based society and a major restructuring is taking place. From the early 1990’s a new vision for future planning was: better quality in the existing city instead of extending the city (a slogan was "better city").

The new planning documents "City Catalogue" and "Fjord Catalogue" were guidelines for the strategic planning for both the northern and southern shores of the Limfjord. Prior to this were several years’ of collaboration with the local citizens and property owners.

Particular focus has been placed on reconstruction of the old industrial area along the waterfront on both sides of the fjord to contemporary urban district with multifunctional activities. Development in some areas is almost completed whilst in other areas it’s still at the planning stage. Only a handful of the old industries remain in operation.

THE PROJECTS

Vestre Havnepromenade

Vestre Havnepromenade was the first area of regeneration at the harbourfront in Aalborg. The plan was the result of a design competition. This new part of the city consists of a dense block structure, similar to the one in the western part of the city, and with a mix of residences and offices. It is built right up to the waters edge.

Aalborg Havnefront

The aim of the plan for Aalborg havnefront is to link the medieval town with the fjord and provide a framework for a wide range of recreational activities at the waterfront. Aalborghus Castle will once more stand out as an important landmark, and the vision is to create a large open courtyard with water features and pools, intended as an interpretation of the medieval stream and the mote surrounding the castle. The road that today divides the city and harbour district will be altered, the traffic will be slowed down and access to the area will be improved.

Musikkens Hus

Planning and construction of Musikkens Hus, which will replace the recently demolished power plant and cattle market at the centre of the harbour district, is a joint project between the Municipality of Aalborg, Aalborg University, and the County of North Jutland. Musikkens Hus will be a centrepiece of the rejuvenated waterfront, situated at the heart of the modern city by the edge of the medieval town. Musikkens Hus will stand as a landmark of the transformation of Aalborg from a city with heavy industry to a contemporary, culturally diverse and vibrant city, and it will add to the strategy of making Aalborg an attractive place in which to live and work. At the same time Musikkens Hus will result in an expansion of the downtown area towards the east, linking it with the residential and industrial districts in that direction.

The building will contain concert halls and foyers, as well as lecture and tutor rooms for the Academy of Music and Aalborg University’s Departments of Music, Music Therapy and Architecture and Design. The intention here is to create a synergy between the public and academic functions of the building. This will enhance Musikkens Hus as a cultural centre and have a decisive impact on the city’s cultural life. The centre will buzz with activity throughout the day until late at night, from students, academics, musicians, concertgoers, and visitors for lunch or just enjoying the view. All this will contribute towards creating an attractive and exiting atmosphere at the waterfront that the whole area is bound to benefit from. The total cost of construction is 63.9 million Euros. An international competition for the designing of Musikkens Hus has recently closed and the results are yet to be announced.

Østre Havn

The site of the old Aalborg Shipyard is converted to an area of housing and commerce. A major information-based company is the driving force for the redevelopment of the area - a company that can see the advantage of marking the fjords skyline.

Stigsborg

The Municipality of Aalborg has placed the new administration building for its Technical Department at the east end of the Nørresundby section of the harbour. A relocation of the council’s administration from the south side, Aalborg, to the north side, Nørresundby, provides a driving force for the development of the Nørresundby and Stigsborg area. The Municipality of Aalborg acquired the site from the former fertilizer manufacturer for the purpose of urban regeneration. As a result a whole district, formerly surrounded by polluting industries, will now have access to the water, and a diverse and attractive residential area will be built by the water, very close to the city centre.

Mellem Broerne

In the area Mellem Broerne between the bridges in Nørresundby, the regeneration project has initiated a new development structure with a view to create a connection between the adjacent city and the harbour front. The development will include a small City Park as a central point in the neighborhood. The project includes a change of a heavily charged trafficarea by the end of the bridge into a flexible urban space.

Lindholm Brygge

In several cases a driving force has accelerated the regeneration process. One example is Siemens’ R&D department at Lindholm Brygge on the site of an old cement factory where office blocks have been built out into the now flooded limestone quarry with what is arguably the best view in Aalborg. This has attracted other information-based companies. The present development of the area with a diversity of housing projects will make Lindholm Brygge become a fully built-up mixed urban area in a few years’ time. The newly established Cityrail Station give an additional advantage to the whole Lindholm Area.

GOALS AND CHALLENGES: user participation – quality - sustainability

The overall goal for the regeneration of the harbour area is to strengthen and to develop Aalborg’s identity as a city by the water. By transforming the areas, which used to block the connections between the city and the water, and by creating a framework for an active and varied urban lifestyle, the city must turn its face towards the fjord, connecting visually across the fjord as well as along its shores. It is very important to create coherence and connectivity between the water and the previously landlocked part of the city.

The goal of the regeneration is to achieve diversity, life and variation. It is also important to utilize the attractive possibilities of the landscape, the special qualities of the winding fjord which cuts its way like a river through the landscape and the city, and the contrast between the densely built-up city, the fjord’s flat open space and its intense light.

Although the planning and regeneration are part of a coherent, overall strategy, the building types and styles differ greatly. Of key importance is that the new structures respect the existing surroundings and that there is high quality in construction and materials. It is a goal to highlight the characteristic elements of the landscape. The characteristic concave bend in the shoreline at Aalborg Harbourfront is emphasised by a new promenade, and in the Stigsborg area the transition is emplasised between the harbour’s linear quay and the soft meadows to the east.

User participation and dialogue with the citizens and professionals implicated are important elements in the new planning strategy. There is a tradition of involving relevant interest groups as soon as the planning process for an area begins. Sustainable town development, be it environmental, economic or social, is the basis for all the planning. It is a challenge to ensure diversity in the types of ownership in the new residential areas. Many forms of housing are being built including council and private rented accommodation along with cooperative and private housing.

STRATEGY AND RESULTS: partnership – genius loci - history

It is an important strategy in the planning stages to ensure good partnership relations between all the involved parties. Dialogue and citizen involvement are of major importance. In the case of private landowners in the regeneration areas, the municipality and the private investors enter in partnerships during the planning work. Another way of making partnership is for example the deal between the Municipality of Aalborg and the fertilizer manufacturer on the decommissioning of the Stigsborg area before the municipality took over the area for urban development.

Regeneration is a gradual step-by-step process in most of the areas. For example the leases for the old warehouses at the Aalborg Harbourfront expire at different times, and this affects the rate and sequence of regeneration projects adjacent to the different parts of the plan.

"The driving force effect" has proven an effective strategy in the regeneration of the old industrial areas. In this sense, Musikkens Hus, Siemens and the Technical Department of the Municipality are important driving force for the regeneration of the whole area. The Municipality of Aalborg places high priority on the regeneration of the city by buying up, planning, developing and putting up for sale, and this has to a large extent ensured the high level of success.

Although in some areas the regeneration is almost total, it is essential to preserve some historic traces. They give identity to the areas and they may provide a source of inspiration for future planning. This is the case at Lindholm Brygge where the preserved parts of the old cement works factory played a major role in the planning of the central boulevard. Other examples of saving buildings include the Harbour Mill, which now houses the Job Centre at Vestre Havnepromenade in Aalborg, the full of character Shipyard Hall and the old dry dock in the Østre Havn area. The dry dock will be filled with water and used as an important local feature giving character to the new area. The old Nordkraft buildings behind the site of the dismantled power station will become an attractive and important neighbour to Musikkens Hus. Finally, the area around Aalborghus Castle will be restored as an important historic site.

The whole concept has as a result very different areas built according to different demands. For example the Vestre Havnepromenade area in Aalborg epitomises the classic town, whereas in the new Stigsborg district the different housing scemes are adapted to the landscape in their own individual styles. All the different areas contribute to the coherent, overall strategy as to create life, variation and new connections.

FACTS ABOUT THE PROJECTS

Vestre Havnepromenade

The area between the bridges in Aalborg. The plan was made in 1992 and now, 10 years after, all the building sites are sold and the area is soon fully built-up. Many different architects and clients.

Aalborg Havnefront

The central harbourfront in Aalborg. The sketch was made in 2002 by Jeppe Aagaard Andersen landskabsarkitekt maa par mdl for the Municipality of Aalborg.

Musikkens Hus

Eastern part of the central harborfront in Aalborg. The architectural competition was held in 2002 and the results are yet to be announced. The client is a cooperation between an independent institution (the public functions of the building) and the Danish State (the academic functions which will be rented by the actual institutions). The building will be finished in 2006.

Østre Havn

Eastern part of the harbourfront in Aalborg. The local plan for the project will be decided p. 2003 and then the area will be built up gradually. The architects are arkitekterne Bjørk & Maigård ApS and the clients are Østre Havn ps and TK Development.

Stigsborg

Eastern part of Nørresundby Harbourfront. The sketch is made in 2002 by Stig L. Andersson Landskabsarkitekter mdl, maa, plr for the Municipality of Aalborg. The planning will go on in 2003 and afterwards the area will be put up for sale and built up.

Mellem Broerne

The central harbourfront in Nørresundby, between the bridges. The plan for the area was decided in 2001. The sketch for the area was made by Boje Lundgaard og Lene Tranberg A/S. The sketch for the small City Park was made by Stig L. Andersson Landskabsarkitekter mdl, maa, plr. The client is the Municipality of Aalborg. The site will be put up for sale in 2003 and the small City Park will be established in 2003.

Lindholm Brygge

The western part of the harbourfront in Nørresundby. The plan for the area was decided by the Municipality of Aalborg in 2000. The client is the owner of the area DAC v. Jørgen Østerheden. The area is under construction. Several designers and architects.

The Municipality of Aalborg’s homepage: www.aalborg.dk