Galgebakken, Albertslund

Facts

Rubbing out public and private boundaries

By Vibeke Andersson Møller (16 stories)

The Galgebakken estate in Albertslund was built in 1972-74 for Vridsløselille housing co-operative by architects Hanne Marcussen, Jens Peter Storgaard and Jørn and Anne Ørum-Nielsen as well as landscape architect Jørgen Vesterholt. It contains 570 homes - some are two-storey terraced houses and some are bungalows. There are also a few one-roomed homes such as halls of residence and homes for senior citizens. The estate itself is designed along relatively strict lines with short rows of houses on each side of a street, but the facades are alternated forwards and backwards to form small sheltered outside areas.

Partly a public place

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Code word - community

Story written by Vibeke Andersson Møller

Time / Periode 1974

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The Galgebakken homes were a contemporary new design for a sociable and open form of housing that was to encourage community spirit among the residents. The large area is divided into smaller units. Here the houses face onto narrow streets that also function as shared areas where residents can meet. Transitions from very private, to semi-private and public zones on the estate are graduated. Windows facing the semi-private street areas are not too large. The houses are made of reinforced concrete elements without additional decoration other than espaliers and pergolas, and the residents are encouraged to furnish and plant bushes and flowers in the shared outdoor areas. Galgebakken's public zones comprise roads for cars, pathways connecting whole estate, and shared areas with shops and institutions. Community is the code word.