Urban architecture and identity‐a Danish approach

Abstract

Interest in urban architecture is growing, not only in Denmark but in the rest of Europe as well. This interest now encompasses not only individual buildings, but also whole areas, such as a street or an entire district. Furthermore, it is not only buildings of special architectural or historical value that are of interest, but also what we might call the everyday architecture in the more anonymous parts of towns, which—although, perhaps containing not a single house of special value—have a totality and identity that are worth preserving. The research on urban architecture that has been going on at the Danish Building Research Institute (SBI) since 1988 has produced a working method that can lead to guidelines for new building and alteration which preserve the special character of such areas without obstructing the constant change and development that must be possible in living urban areas.