Hej! I know this is too late for a post, but I can promise that this is my last post.
Looking back, I couldn’t believe that two months in Scandinavia just passed in a blink of an eye. Coming to DIS expanded my horizon in understanding the Scandinavian’s architecture, culture, people, and food. I was fortunate to spend my summer at DIS Copenhagen.
Cycling around København and beyond was the best moment in my summer. With my rented bicycle, I could cycle as far to Bagsværd from downtown København. I was intrigued that cycling is a norm for majority of Danes. At one point, I passed by the Copenhagen Central Station and I saw a parking space flooded with bicycles.
Since I had been using my rented bike for about two months, it was hard for me to say goodbye to my rented bicycle on my last day in København. To anyone who wants to rent a bicycle with a decent price, check out the shop ‘Swapfiets’.
My favourite visiting spot in Demark was Tingbjerg library by COBE Architects. Cycling to the site took about half an hour. The structure not only had a unique form, also it blended with the surrounded site context through its materiality.
Inside the building, the space was interesting because of its tilted ceiling and openings for the sunlight. Because the space was limited, the design was focused on the elevation. Besides functioned as a library, the library offered different social programs, such as, arts and crafts, story telling space, and children’s reading space. Overall, the interior space offered a communal atmosphere.
Watching the shadow inside the building for hours made me feel sublime. One of the librarians told me that she loved the building because of its spatial quality and quiet atmosphere, “almost felt like a church”. In my humble opinion, most libraries I had visited were grandiose in scale. Although the Tingbjerg library was small in scale, but unique in space, giving an intimate experience to the Tingbjerg community. I couldn’t help myself but being critical towards the building and consumed its mysterious beauty simultaneously.
Fast forward to my last day at København, I had to prepare food for my urban design studio. It was our last picnic for our gathering, located at Amager Strandpark. I prepared my favourite curry chicken. After our meal, we went to the water and have fun!
Honestly, I will miss København a lot, especially my roommate, my friends, and my instructors in Urban Design Studio. The friends who laughed with me, cooked with me, cooked for me, shared some of their lives and stories with me, like another family. I hoped to stay in touch with all these amazing people.
Looking forward, my next destination is Venice, Italy. I will look forward to visit design culture, galleries and museums, urban design, and some of Carlo Scarpa’s architectural works. I am really excited!!
Before heading back to Vancouver for my final year in September, I will head back to Malaysia for a month after Venice. Then, I will stopover about a week at Los Angeles to visit my friends. DIS is part of my summer chapter, and I have more chapters to fill up for my summer plan! There is a saying an ending is just another beginning.
Ciao!