Copenhagen playground. Urban space for social integrity

The Danish Big studio designs an urban space to integrate the ethnic groups of a neighborhood, using objects from all over the world as furnishings, symbols that reflect the true nature of the local neighborhood.

Using objects from all over the world as furnishings, the Danish Big studio designs an urban space to integrate the ethnic groups of a neighborhood.

Over half a mile long, Superkilen is an urban space embedded in one of Denmark's most ethnically diverse neighborhoods. Conceived as a gigantic exhibition of "good urban practices" is a kind of collection of found objects that come from 60 different countries, representing the countries of origin of the people who live in the area.

The objects are of all types, without any connection between them, from sports equipment from the Muscle Beach in Los Angeles, to sewers from Israel, to palm trees from China, to neon signs from Qatar and Russia. Each object has a steel tag that describes what it is and where it comes from, written in two languages: Danish and in the language of its origin.

The park actually reflects the true nature of the local neighborhood, acting as a surrealistic collection of global urban diversity, rather than giving a petrified image of homogeneous Denmark. It expresses the reality of contemporary cities.

Superkilen is part of a partnership between Copenhagen City Hall and Realdania, a private association that supports philanthropic projects in architecture and planning. The aim is to make the Nørrebro district an innovative urban space that becomes an international standard, inspiring other cities and neighborhoods.