Living on stilts in the forest
The earth is vulnerable. Both from a global and a local perspective. Pollution has become a latent threat to our resources, posing problems that are becoming increasingly more difficult to solve. Our building processes are often part of the problem. One potent alternative has been developed by Force4, an interdisciplinary co-operation between eight students from the Royal Danish Academy of Art and Architecture and the Danish Design School, both in Copenhagen. Their strategy revolves around a housing complex suspended on stilts and surrounded by a forest of trees; a little oasis in the midst of the urban stone desert. It is called Boase.
Simple and self evident
The concept builds on a simple and self evident idea that binds architecture, design and ecology in a unique way. Their goal is to reclaim polluted lands using ecological and sustainable methods, clearing the way for its use for housing and other purposes. Boase utilises trees whose root net is well suited to breaking down specific organic pollutants, relatively common in certain parts of the urban landscape. The Boase pilot project in northwest Copenhagen incorporates the willow, among others; all robust tree species native to the Danish forest.
Raised over the terrain
The semi-permanent buildings are placed on long thin columns, or stilts, whose primary function is to protect the forest floor from damage while the trees are establishing themselves, as well as to protect the residents from prolonged contact with the contaminated soil. The buildings are light weight and have transparent facades. With the buildings raised over the terrain, the forest floor receives ample light and air. This is critical for the growth of the trees on which the success of the project depends. The ground cover is a diverse blend of plants and shrubs that ensure a green and colourful surface year round, while the trees are establishing themselves.
The advantage of living on stilts
For the residents there are many advantages to living on stilts. Fresh air, abundant light, closeness to the sounds of nature, and an intimate sense of the changing seasons are among these many benefits. The visual and aesthetic aspects of the project are simple and compelling. The opportunity of living in a forest in the middle of the city. The stilts, or columns, also function as channels for the flow of both rain and "grey water" from the units down to

the earth, giving extra nutrients to the soil. This speeds up the biological processes at work, hastening the cleansing of the soil. As the soil becomes cleaner the buildings gradually descend until they can touch down when the process is complete.
A ten year cycle
Force4 expects the process to require ten years to fully reclaim the contaminated soil. When the process is complete, the site can be used for purposes other than housing. At that point the lightweight structures can either remain on the site, or be dismantled and moved onto another contaminated ground where the process can begin anew. At the end of their life cycle, all the building's components are designed to be recycled.
Clusters within a network
The housing portion of the project is organised around random clusters. Between these clusters are the common rooms and facilities. This constellation can be recombined in any number of ways. The housing can be thought of as a temporary frame, a box that the individual can retreat into in order to establish and nurture a private life.
Network of bridges
The housing is connected by a network of bridges weaving in, under, over, and in between each other. This gives great variety of access to the buildings. From these bridges, one will be able to experience the greenery and the structures from differing heights and from shifting perspectives, intensifying the visual experience. All the bridges terminate in common platforms to encourage social interaction between the residents.
Housing for the mobile society
Since the housing is conceived of as temporary, the common rooms are also intended to stimulate social relations between the residents who are in transition. The project itself is especially designed to appeal to the young and mobile, people that typically have a need for their dwellings for shorter periods of time. This target group includes the designers themselves.
Visionary and original
As a strategy, the project offers a proposition that is both visionary and original. As a project, it offers a highly convincing solution that combines architecture, design and ecology. Boase represents a well conceived synthesis of ideas in an attempt to find a solution to one of the most complex problems of our age, the pollution of our common ground.
© JAN ANDERSEN 2002