1. Living Over the Store
Mixed use row housing at Carlsberg
Assignment 1
Faculty: Henning Thomsen
“For the sake of our cities and the cultures they
represent, there is no more pressing task than
the clarification of the conditions under which
communicative space can be re-imagined (...)
Connective elements discover correspondences
between inside and outside spaces. They also set
the stage for spatial communication.”
David Leatherbarrow, The Sacrifice of Space, in Common Ground
- a critical reader, ed. David Chipperfield et. al., 2012

2. DIS Architecture + Design Fall 2013
Assignment 1: Living Over the Store
The Theme
In the first assignment we will invesitgate the Danish housing tradition through
the development of an urban typology, the shop/house. Some scholars claim
this could be the missing link in todays search for livable, sustainable, mixed-use
neighborhoods. American scholar Howard Davis, from Eugene, Oregon, describes
the typology thus: “The shop/house is not defineable as a singular architectural type
- a building configuration clearly defined in function or geometry. But they do exhibit
common ideas. They are located in places where densities allow for commercial
activity. They put commercial activity on the ground floor level, prioritize it over
domestic functions, and ensure the privacy of family life relative to the public realm.
They support the diversity of urban neighborhoods. And they exhibit flexibility of use
over time. (...) They include buildings in which the family that works in the shop also
lives in the building, and other buildings in which the dwellings are independent of
the shops.”
The Commission
The task is to design a single shop/house prototype, which when multiplied, can
constitute a streetfront/courtyard structure. In general terms, the prototype will
consist of a ground floor for commercial activities, and two further floors for
residential activities. The basic plot dimensions will be 8 meters wide by 10 meters
deep. The commercial spaces on the ground floor can be extended a further 4
meters on the courtyard side, creating the opportunity for a rooftop terrace in
conncection with the residential activities above. This extension to the courtyard
side can only take place every three basic modules, and when not carried out
creates a back yard space on the ground floor of 4 by 10 meters for every basic
module. The commercial activities on the ground floor can extend up to three
modules in width (3 x 8 meters) as a maximum.The gound floor height must be 4-4.5
meters, while the residential floors must be 3-3.5 meters. All of this will be explained
further in studio.
The Site
The foundations of Carlsberg A/S - one of the world’s largest brewery groups -
were laid in 1847 when brewer J C Jacobsen moved from his brewery in inner
city Copenhagen to Valby Hill to start modern beer production there. The main
advantage of the new location was that there was plenty of good water and that
the storage cellars, which were a prerequisite for the making of the new beer
type, dark lager, could be dug into the sloping side of Valby Hill. After close to 160
years of activity on the site, the Carlsberg Group in the beginning of the 2000’s
decided to move the production out of the city and away from Copenhagen. The
site, almost 33 hectars of land, was to be transformed and developed into a new
part of Copenhagen. The ambition was to create a dense, sustainable and livable
neighborhood. A masterplan competition was announced, that attracted 221 entries
from all over the world. The winner turned out to be a local Copenhagen absed
office, Entasis, who have since been responsible for the masterplan and the proces
to create localplans for the future development of the site.
The Plot
The site as a whole is divided into 20 zones that structure both the future use as
well as the scale and character of the new buildings being added to the site over
time. Zone #13 is the plot for our assignment. It is one of the perimeter zones and
is situated closest to the very coherent and sensitive neighborhood of Humleby
(humle in english is hops, i.e. what you use to brew beer). Humleby was constructed
from 1885-91 to designs by Frederik Bøttger, who also is responsible for the design
of Kartoffelrækkerne. It is a highly sought after neighborhood now populated by
middle to high income creative class families. When built, the three-storey row
houses where for rental, but today they are all privately owned and quite expensive.
One of the challenges of the assignment will be how to construct new row houses
next to this very sensitive neighborhood and how to connect to the urban structure
of Humleby.
Carlsberg, overview from masterplan proposal, Entasis
Carlsberg, View from Humleby, rendering, Entasis
Carlsberg, overview of area

3. DIS Architecture + Design Fall 2013
Assignment 1: Living Over the Store
Readings
Howard Davis: Introduction - a quintessential urban building (pp. 1-11), in Living
Over the Store - Architecture and Local Urban Life, 2012
Dalibor Vesely: Ch. 1 Modernity, Fredom, and Destiny (pp. 11-43), in Architecture in
the Age of Divided Representation, 2004
Jan Gehl: Ch. 3.1 The lively city (pp. 63-91) + The city at eye level: designing the
ground floor (pp. 240-241), in Cities for People, Washington 2010
Ginetta Vedrickas: What’s it like living above the shop?, in The Independent (UK
newspaper), May 23, 1998
William JR Curtis: On Architectural Pedagogy, (Ideas of architecture and architectural
ideas), from Architectural Review, 23 November 2012
Program Requirements
There will be only indicatory program requirements. The sizes and scale must be
worked out during the process.
Commercial floor:
Simple layout for a basic commercial activity such as a small bar, restaurant, coffee
shop, fashion shop, bicycle repair shop or the like.
Residential floors:
Stairs, entrance, toilet(s), kitchen, living room(s), bed room(s), storage
Additional program on the site
Rooftop terrace, back yard space for commercial activity/residential activity
Process
Assignment 1 is subdivided into two phases referred to as: concept development
and architectural development. Throughout the project, working with analytical
diagrams, sketch models and 3D representations will be emphasized. Please observe
that there will be no on-screen/laptop reviews. All things you want to/need to
discuss must be based on print-outs created before studio. Consideration of the
following should be included in the studies:
Space: Detail:
• Thematic reflections • Tectonics
• Architectural idea • Facade
• Programmatic and spatial organization • Materials and surfaces
• Structural principles • Daylight and artificial light
• Composition and scale
• Circulation
Final Presentation Requirements:
Context map 1:1000
Architectural idea
Inspirational material and reference photos
Diagrams
Site plan 1:200
Floor plans 1:50
Sections and elevations 1:50
Model 1:50
3D representations, interior and exterior
Slip House, London, UK, by Carl Turner, 2013
Ground floor shops
Ground floor shop
Newhall Be, Harlow, UK, by Alison Brooks Architects 2013

4. DIS Architecture + Design Fall 2013
Assignment 1: Living Over the Store
The White Building, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
St Johns Bar and Restaurant, London, UK
Presentation Format
Final drawings are to be presented on a DIS board, 120 cm x 120 cm. A name tag,
provided by the AD office, must be placed along the top edge of the board for the
submission to be counted as on time. All materials are due on Dec 11 at 22:00. A
digital presentation is acceptable if material is uploaded to the server by submission
deadline. If presenting digitally, the student must at least provide b/w prints of the
scheme on board; projector requests must be made in the AD-office one week prior
to the submission deadline.
Submission of Assignments
All presentation material must be supplemented with a digital submission of the
presentation boards including photos of physical models. This requirement is
necessary for grading and archival purposes for DIS, as well as documentation
you will need for your own portfolio. Digital submission of this material must be
uploaded to Blackboard before the final project deadline (typically 10:00 pm the
night before presentations).
Plotting
To avoid plotter backup and breakdowns, we offer to plot your boards for you
(anything larger than A3). If you would like the AD staff to plot your board, please
submit it to AD Documents by 09:00 the day before the first day of presentations!
Submit to the folder: AD_Documents>To_AD_Department>FA11>Asn1_Plot_
Submissions>
AD_Documents can be accessed in the following computer labs:
V10-B35
F24-406
File Size
No file over 10 megabytes will be plotted! Files MUST be in PDF format! Please be
aware that the maximum plot size 105cm x 150cm. Make sure your file size fits
within these dimensions! Keep in mind the boards we provide for pin-up are 120cm
x 120cm.
File Naming for Submission
All files submitted to DIS Forum or AD_Documents MUST follow the AD file naming
system: Lastname_Firstname_COURSE_Content_SEMESTER
ex. Brugmann_Dustin_AD_Asn2_FA11 or Johnson_Matt_IA_Asn2_FA11
Plotting on your own
You are welcomg to plot on your own anytime before the 09:00 deadline. If you miss
the 09:00 deadline or if you choose to plot on your own, please be patient and wait
for the submitted plots to finish printing before you begin.
Evaluation
Evaluation is based on daily work in studio (process) 40% and final presentation
(completion of assignment goals including: concept, context, function, completeness
and presentation) 60%.
Overall Schedule
Fr Aug 23 13.15-17.00 Intro Assignment 1
Tu Aug 27 13.15-17.00 Studio - concept development
Fr Aug 30 13.15-17.00 Studio - concept development finalized
Tu Sep 3 13.15-17.00 Studio - architectural development
Tu Sep 10 13.15-17.00 Studio - architectural development
Fr Sep 13 13.15-17.00 Studio - architectural development finalized
Mo Sep 16 09.00 Plot submissions
22.00 Project due
Tu Sep 17 9.15-17.00 Final Presentation
We Sep 18 9.15-17.00 Final Presentation
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