The courtyard in Classensgade 27 was completely renovated in 2010 after a successful process and collaboration between the courtyard residents and 1:1 landscape architects. For the co-operative housing block, AB Store Classenshus, it was important that the courtyard would become a flexible, multifunctional space for both young and old.

Today a beautiful tile paving has replaced the dented asphalt and a worn rear building has been demolished to make room for a miniature football field, leaving a new welcoming and useable outdoor space to the residents.

The idea behind the courtyard renovation consist of creating an intimate outdoor space that works as a social gathering point for the residents, but at the same time can be enjoyed as an aesthetic element from the kitchen windows where the “carpet” gives the viewer an entirely different visual experience.

The carpet was chosen as a motive because it gives a personal expression and signal homely values and cosiness – as a well-know internal images reminding of a classic living room scene where the dining table or the sofa group are situated on a carpet on the parquet floor. 

The ‘carpet’ pattern is inspired by the many carvings and ornaments seen on the housing facades in the neighbourhood, Østerbro, Copenhagen, but through a carefully customized work it has gained its own unique and modern identity.

The climbing plants, the flower pots and the adoring fountain create an almost south European atmosphere, and in the summertime the courtyard becomes an extension of the residents’ private living rooms.

The new layout and design has made a thoughtful and positive, yet funny effect on the residents’ daily use of the courtyard.