Summer 2011 in Copenhagen

Christiania & The Round Tower

Kristin Leigh — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 09:49:50 +0000

Yesterday morning we had our Final Exam. It was a written exam with 14 questions to choose from. We had to write 5 short answer essays which had to do with our lectures and readings. It went well, I feel pretty confident in my answers for all of the questions. After that went to Christiania to have lunch and do some shopping. Christiania is a free town which was founded in 1971 by a group of hippies who developed it into an alternative society with its own regulated set of rules separate from the government. I saw that some of the rules were: no cars, no stealing, no guns, no bullet-proof vests, no hard drugs, no flash bombs? and no cameras. I didn’t understand the camera rule until someone explained to me that the government has tried to shut it down for some time. Christiania is a really interesting area. Most of the citizens are artisans, so there’s a lot of really interesting art throughout, such as metal work ( jewelry), carpentry, graffiti, glass work, etc. From what I’ve heard and seen, they seem more known for the cannabis… they have stands through out. They have a lot of great cafe’s and vegetarian places too! We went and had lunch at this little place where these two women cooked a ton of different dishes and it worked like a buffet. Everything was homemade and delicious! After that we went to see the Trinitatis Church and climb the round tower. Omi Lord..what an accomplishment. It’s 40 meters high but it was so worth the climb, the view was amazing!!!

Both Christiania and the Round Tower are really close to my Kollegium, I actually pass them almost everyday on my run, so we walked back to our Kolleguim and got ready for the exhibition and dinner. The Exhibition was really cool! We got to see projects from all the different programs like textiles, furniture, urban design, architecture and graphic design. After that we had our social and had dinner and drinks.

I started doing laundry and packing today = [ .Our plan is to go see some more sites in the city, go to Tivoli and then our Professors invited all of us Interior Architecture students over for a little social later. = ] I’m pretty excited about that because I really loved both of my Professors and I want to go get them a card to let them know how great they were and how much I learned from them.

Final Project!

Kristin Leigh — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 20:08:08 +0000

I’m sorry I haven’t really blogged in a while, I’ve been super busy over here. Never a dull moment. We’ve been working on our Final Project the last few weeks. The last week has been really rough. Lots of work, not much sleep. I spent 48 hrs in the studio straight over the weekend, during Fashion week…That’s dedication right? Anyways. I had my Final Presentation this morning & it went really well. = ] Lots of great feedback, and I learned a lot from critique.

So here is Assignment 2: Pumpehuset Hostel

The site was built in 1857 and was an industrial waterworks plant. It was designed in the Romanesque style by N.S. Nebelong. Since the waterworks complex was rebuilt in 1951, this building has been out of use. The machine house has been used as a music venue featuring events and concerts and drawing in a young alternative crowd.

Our job was to turn this building into a youth hostel. We started collaborating research before and after our Sweden/Finland tour and then we basically had 3 weeks to finish our design and be ready to present. For my concept I wanted to create a modern industrial design that would reflect the previous use of the building as a waterworks industrial plant. I wanted to contrast between new and old scandinavian architecture by utilizing the existing structure, while also taking a modern style approach. After our experiences in hostels, I really wanted to create an environment that would give guests the privacy they needed but also promote social interaction. I think its really important for guests to feel safe and secure and have their space, but also to have fun and get to know other people along their journey. So here is my Presentation board

We handed in our visual journal and then have our Final exam tomorrow morning. After that we have exhibition where all of our work is displayed in a gallery. We get two free drinks & dinner. = ] I have a lot more to do and see and I fly back to the states saturday morning…. So I will continue to be busy and on-the-go non-stop. I’m going to see everything I possible can before I leave. I love it here…this went by too fast..I don’t want to leave.

Thorvaldsen museum

Kristin Leigh — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:33:07 +0000

Carlsberg Brewery

Kristin Leigh — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:26:03 +0000

Finland: Day 4 & the journey back to Copenhagen

Kristin Leigh — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 19:17:18 +0000

Friday was our last day in Finland. = [

Our first site was the Myyrmaki Church, which was not too far out of Helsinki. It was such a beautiful church. There were different layers in the layout of the church which created this really interesting contrast between shadows and light.

Our next stop was Hvittrask, this was built by architects Herman Gesellius, Armas Lindgren and Eliel Saarinen from 1901-1907. This was my favorite place by far. I'm all about modern architecture, but I couldn't help but fall in love with this place. The buildings were originally built to be a studio/home for the architects but became their private residence and later Saarinen's summer house. We weren't allowed to enter all of the buildings but we did enter the main building which was the residence of Eliel Saarinen and is now a museum. One of the buildings was turned into a restaurant and the other was closed for renovations. All of the buildings were built-in the National Romantic Style. We arrived to Hvittrask a bit earlier than our scheduled tour, so we walked around the site through all of the beautiful courtyards and english style gardens. It was raining and very gloomy but the landscape was still very beautiful. When we went inside we had a great informational tour of the building. The guide told us a lot of interesting information and history about the building and its residents. This was not only my favorite place, but my favorite tour as well.

Our last site for the day was Paimio Sanatorium by Alvar Aalto. This building was a former tuberculosis sanatorium up until the 1960's and then was converted into a general hospital. When the building served as a tuberculosis center the only known cure for tuberculosis was rest in a clean environment with fresh air and sunshine. Knowing this Aalto very much designed the building around the patients to create the best possible environment for healing. One of the best ways he did this was putting sunning balconies on each floor, and one on the very top floor overlooking the forest making it possible for all of the patients to go outside and get fresh air. Hospitals always have kind of creeped me out, and this building is barely used now because there was a new hospital built not too far away where most of the patients transferred too... So the building was basically empty except for us and the tour guide. On top of that, the tour guide told us some ghost stories and strange occurrences that have happened in the building. All-in-all, it was a great building, and to see and learn about all of the little details Aalto put in for the patients was really interesting.

After Paimio we got back on the bus to head for Turku to get on the Viking Line Ferry which we would stay on overnight again. Once we got on the boat, I got ready for dinner and went to enjoy our buffet and free drinks again. After dinner we went to the disco again for a while as well. I was really exhausted from the day so I snuck off to bed around midnight.

In the morning we got off the boat around 6:30 am and got back on the bus for our long drive back to Copenhagen. We stopped once for lunch around noon at a service area and then got back on the road. We arrived in Copenhagen around 4:00 pm and were dropped off right near the metro station. It was really nice getting home early cause it gave me time to unpack, do laundry, and just relax.

The Study Tour was a really great experience. I got to see so many great sites everyday, visit amazing cities, eat all different kinds of foods, and live outside of my comfort zone. I think the study tour really brought a lot of us close together too. I got to meet and get to know a lot of great people and made a lot of friends. = ] My sketching skills have really improved as well from working on the visual journal everyday at our sites. When we got back we all couldn’t wait to get home to our beds, but now I think most of us kind of miss the tour. It was nice all us hanging out everyday in the hostels and on the bus and we don’t see everyone as much anymore now that we’re back to our class/studio schedule.

Finland: Day 3

Kristin Leigh — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:38:53 +0000

Thursday Morning we had another typical hostel breakfast at the Soko’s Presidentti. At all of the hostels we stayed at they offered a buffet which had bread, some cold cuts, scrambled eggs, oatmeal and some fruit which tasted like it was frozen. It wasn’t the best breakfast I’ve ever had but I was grateful that we had one offered in the mornings before our long days.

Thursday was one of our easier days. Our first sites were Alvar Aalto’s Studio and House. We had a brief tour at each and at this point, I feel like I’m really beginning to understanding his work. It’s very easy now to pinpoint his style and all the little details he puts in.

We then went to the Kiasma in downtown Helsinki. Yay! Another Modern Art Museum! I was blown away by this building. The spaces inside were beautiful. There was an exhibition on Africa and Contemporary Art. It was an interesting exhibition, not as horrifying as some of the other art I’ve come across in modern art museums.

After the museum we were set free for the day to explore the city! They gave us a map and a list of different buildings and sites in the area we would be interested in. We had lunch, went to a few places around the city and attempted to do some shopping. I bought a scarf and bracelets. = ] I LOVE HELSINKI! I had so much fun exploring the city.

We had a dinner reservation at 7:30pm at a restaurant right in downtown Helsinki near our Hotel. The restaurant had this strange western-theme to it, it was actually pretty funny-looking. After dinner we all got together and drank in the hotel.

Finland: Day 2

Kristin Leigh — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:03:02 +0000

Aalto Day!

Wednesday morning we had breakfast at the hostel and left around 8:00 am for our first site, Saynatsalo. This is a multifunction building complex Aalto built in the 50′s consisting of a town hall, library, and shops.

Our next stop was Muuratsalo, which was the island Aalto bought property on during the construction of Saynatsalo to build his “Experimental House”. He built this house back in the woods to test out different materials and their durability according to the surrounding environment. It also served as a summer-house for him and his wife. It was a far walk from the road but very close to the water because they accessed the property by boat.

We then went to the University of Jyvaskyla, which was one of the first Finnish- speaking colleges. Apparently at this time large universities and colleges were scarce. Aalto designed and built several of the buildings on campus. We went to see the Pedagogical Institute, the Library, and a lecture hall.

Close by was the Alvar Aalto Museum. We walked over there from the University and looked around for a bit. When we went to the museum I had a chance to see how much he really designed and built, and I couldn’t believe it. I wish we had more time to stay and read the information about some of the things he created. We saw his furniture pieces, glass work, models of the buildings and even some of his original drawings and sketches! Those were what I found most interesting, to see how his ideas came out on paper and then transformed into a final piece.

We left Jyvaskyla around 2:30 and had about a 4 hr bus ride to the Sokos Presidentti in Helsinki. This time we had a really nice Hotel instead of a hostel! It was beautiful and right in the middle of the city near everything! I unpacked and changed, and then a large group of us went out for dinner and drinks in the city.

Finland: Day 1

Kristin Leigh — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 19:29:52 +0000

Tuesday morning we had breakfast on the boat quick at 6:30 am and got back on the bus to head for Turku. Our first stop was the Resurrection Chapel and the Chapel of The Holy Cross. The Chapel of The Holy Cross was the chapel I built for Assignment 1, this meant I had to give a presentation first thing when we got there, and explain the idea’s behind the Chapel and some interesting facts. I was really impressed by this Chapel. After studying it and building it I thought I knew what to expect entering the building but I was really blown away. While sketching in the chapel my professor came to ask me how I felt about it and I told her I wished the artificial lighting was off so we could experience the chapel in its natural form how it was intended to be. My Professor agreed and went to find the light switches and accidentally turned on the church bell. Haha.

I knew the building was meant to be a crematorium as well but I wasn’t expecting it to be happening while we were there. When we walked up to the chapel there was black smoke coming out of the chimney and a few students went into the basement and watched as they put the coffin into the chamber. The workers there were actually really nice and told us some interesting information about cremations as well.

Around 12:30 we had lunch in the city and then had a 4 hour bus ride to our next site, the Kuokkalan Church, in Jyvaskyla. This church was just recently built in 2010 and one of the Architects from the firm who built the church explained to us how they combined the architecture from traditional finnish church with modern ideas. It was a nice change from some of the older churches we were seeing and it a really pretty church.

We then left and stopped at the City Market in Jyvaskyla to pick up groceries for the cook-out we were going to have later that night. We stayed at Jvaskylan Laajavuori Oy, which is a resort for skiing in the winter, and for mountain biking in the summer. We brought our stuff to our rooms and immediately changed to get ready for the cook-out and sauna. We walked about 5 minutes from the hostel to a cabin in the woods which was on a lake. We all cooked some great food together and had a few beers. Then it was time for the sauna. Tradition is to go in the sauna for a bit then to jump into the lake, or a cold shower. Your suppose to do this about 3 times to clean out your pores. I’m usually a big baby when it comes to jumping into cold water or even standing in the cold for that matter, but I did it! I sat in the sauna for about 10 minutes, ran to the dock, and jumped into the lake. It was so refreshing, and it was such an amazing feeling to look around and realize I was in a lake in the middle of the forest in Finland. After doing it once, I had to do it 2 more times. Apparently there are 1.6 saunas in Finland for each person, and after this experience, I understand why.

Sweden: Day 3

Kristin Leigh — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 18:24:39 +0000

Monday morning we had breakfast at the Hostel and departed for the Woodland Cemetery, which is right in Stockholm, Sweden. There were three different chapels located at this cemetery, the Resurrection Chapel, the Woodland Chapel, and the Holy Cross Chapel. The landscape was really beautiful, and being there was very peaceful and relaxing. The chapels were all very interesting and most of them were very intimate spaces.

We then left for Hammarby Sjostad by is a new growing city focused on sustainability. It was a really cool area, I could really see myself living somewhere like this in the future. We had lunch here by the water which was delicious and then got back on the bus to head back into Stockholm.

Our next stop was the Stadsbibloteket (City Library) in Stockholm. When we were building our models, the group next to me built this model so I had a little bit of an idea of what it looked like but I was really impressed. It was a very interesting space.

After that we had an optional visit to the Millesgarden which was not far out the city. I decided to go and I was really glad I did. The museum is used for antique collections, a sculpture garden, and an art gallery.

After that we left for the Viking Line, which was our overnight ferry to Finland. It basically was a lower class cruise ship. They assigned rooms this time and I was really glad they did. I was set up with 3 girls I had never met before and this in a way forced me to meet some new people. They were all really sweet and the 4 of us get along really well. We had a buffet style dinner on the boat at 9:30 pm which was pretty good, and the best part was free wine and beer during dinner. I of course took advantage of that. After dinner a large group of us went to the little disco bar on the boat and danced for a bit. It was a lot of fun but we lost an hour that night on our way to Finland so I tried to go to bed early. Early being midnight I believe.

Sweden: Day 1 & 2

Kristin Leigh — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 21:40:25 +0000

We set off for Sweden at 8:00 am on Saturday and headed for Helsingor. We took the ferry from Helsingor to Helsingborg and then made our first stop at St. Petri Church by Sigurd Lewerentz. The church was designed to be very intimate. Siguard Lewerentz used very dim lighting and small skylights which directed light to important parts on the interior. It was a really beautiful building and we learned so much about the spirituality and symbolism behind his work. We stayed for about an hour, enjoyed the space and did some sketches.

After that stop, we were on the road for 3 hours. We stopped at a diner for lunch which DIS paid for, and then got back on the road for another 3 hours. We arrived at the Zinkensdamm Hostel around 8:30 pm and had a sketch book review first thing. When we pulled up to the hostel, I was pleasantly surprised with how cute it looked. After sketch book review we headed for our room, and it was actually pretty nice. We have two bunk beds and we each have our own locker. It’s actually a pretty cute room. Blenda, Brenna, Rachel and myself all decided to room together, considering we all get along really well, and honestly it feels like we’re having a good old fashioned sleepover. After we got settled in, a large group of us went out to the Hostel bar and had a few drinks. Because I knew I had to get up at 6:00 am, I headed to bed around 11:00 pm.

In the morning we had breakfast at the Hostel and then walked to the metro towards our first destination, Gamla Stan (Stockholm’s Old City). This area was so beautiful. The architecture had so much culture to it, I couldn’t get enough of it. We stayed for about an hour, did some sketches and then had to head to our next site.

We walked to Sergels torg, which is the most public square in Stockholm. It’s been referred to as the “Times Square” of Stockholm. This area has much more modern architecture compared to Galma Stan. We came to see the Kulturhuset (Swedish for “House of Culture”) by Peter Celsing. We sat and studied the area for a bit and added so more sketches to our visual journal. We then were set free for lunch and to roam the city for a few hours. We went up to the top of Kulturhuset for lunch at a cafe and then just walked around the city. The city was just so amazing, I was so taken back by all the beautiful buildings (new & old) and views.

At 3:00 pm we had to meet at the Moderna Museet and Arkitekturmuseet. I was so excited, more Architecture in another Modern Art Museum! I really enjoyed everything at the Arkitekturmuseet. We saw so many really nice models and some more abstract architectural designs. After we saw everything at the Arkitekturmuseet, we walked over to look at the modern art portion. I enjoyed some of it, but most of it was disturbing, and creepy. A large portion of the exhibit was strange dark photography. I of course love the opportunities to see the artwork in these museums, but after seeing some of that stuff, I felt a bit uneasy, and creeped out.

After the Museum we had a dinner scheduled at a restaurant in Galma Stan. The place was really nice. The service was great and the food was delicious!

This trip has been so great so far! I can’t wait to see more!

We have our last site in Sweden tomorrow and then move on to Finland!