The courtscraper is probably one of the most interesting and innovative urban design concepts in the 21st century. Coined by the world renown Danish architect/urban designer Bjarke Ingels, the courtscraper is an enriched modern urban block. It integrates the skyscraper into the modern urban block, hence consists of a continuous mass of urban solids with some high and medium rise segments that encloses a central courtyard. Unlike the courtscraper, modern urban blocks only consist of medium rise urban solids.
The concept of courtscraper addresses and thrives to contain spatial and functional weaknesses of skyscrapers in cities like poor spatial identity and orientation, and other spatial quality features that may be deterrent to meaningful use of urban spaces.
More specifically, the concept of courtscraper thrives to generate high quality urban quarters that are spatially integrated, both horizontally and vertically. In other words, the courtscraper takes into account both the horizontal and vertical urban spatial planes. Its an antithesis of the modernist approach to urban design that emphasizes the vertical urban spatial plane while giving little attention to the horizontal urban spatial plane. With the modern approach, solitary buildings are often placed in the midst of undefined continuous open space.
Located at 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, and overlooking the Hudson River, is a residential courtscraper designed by Bjarke Ingels' firm, that we think presents a good practical illustration of the new concept. We will now describe the example as thus.
The Manhattan courtscraper consists of a continuous mass of meticulously mixed high and medium residential urban solids that share a well designed inner courtyard. The latter is excellently furnished with meandering paved walkways, ample seating places, contemporary lamp posts, rubbish bins, etc. amidst ample landscaping trees, shrubs and flowers of various species as well as natural stones. The extraordinary combination of hard and soft spaces gives the courtyard a sense of natural environment right in the middle of Manhattan.
To conclude, the courtscraper is definitely an incredible new urban design concept that is very likely to determine the nature of urban spatial forms in the 21st century. The concept is particularly relevant for cities with high physical densities, as well as those facing serious shortage of land for horizontal expansion.
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Video accompanying this article presents some few selected photos that we hope can give an idea about how the New York Courtscraper look like. The video was prepared by JK Freelance Productions while the article was written by Jacob Kimaryo Consultancy.
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To contact Jacob Kimaryo Consultancy, e-mail: kimaryoconsult@gmail.com
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