According to the 2016 Police Safety Index, Bispehaven in Hasle was the most unsafe residential area in the country. A study carried out by Østjysk Bolig, the owner of the buildings, showed that insecurity and crime were closely connected to the existing area plan and design. But an ambitious renovation project led by LINK has changed all that.
Disconnected basement rooms, deep and covered staircases and deserted footpaths were all factors that made residents feel unsafe. So the goal of the extensive transformation was clear and simple: to create more safety, better living opportunities and more freedom for residents.
Original residential complex
Bispehaven is a residential complex not far from Aarhus C consisting of concrete blocks seven storeys high. The buildings were erected in 1970-73 and consist of 880 homes with 2300 residents. The area faced major physical challenges in relation to its functionality, coherency, structure and scale. This meant there was a need to increase the focus on Bispehaven’s physical framework and links to the surrounding city.
Transformation
The concrete blocks of the monofunctional residential area have been transformed into a diverse neighbourhood with a relevant and human area plan that rethinks the outdoor areas. At the conclusion of the project, Bispehaven changed its name to Bispehaverne in recognition of the creation of a range of smaller and diverse rooms in the open, each adapted to the specific block.
Measurable security effect
Since the completion of the renovation, surveys have shown that the share of Bispehaverne’s residents who feel safe living in the area has increased from 43% to 65%.
LINK Arkitektur has had other good experiences of strengthening social sustainability using architecture. In Korskærparken in Fredericia, the crime rate was halved in the wake of LINK Arkitektur’s overall plan and comprehensive security renovation.
