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Of Course Copenhagen Is Building a Bike Lane in the Sky

Read More: http://www.citylab.com/design/2015/1...he-sky/417024/

Denmark loves bike lanes so much, they’re building one on top of a skyscraper. Copenhagen Gate is a spectacular plan to link disparate parts of the Danish capital’s regenerating harbor, using a suspension bridge designed especially for cyclists and pedestrians.

- It’s the bridge’s supports that make it groundbreaking. The span will hang between a pair of mixed residential and office towers located on opposite piers at the harbor mouth. Designed along with the towers by American architect Steven Holl, the bridge will cross between the towers not at water level, but at a height of 65 meters (213 feet). This elevation will provide spectacular views of the city and create a new visual gateway to Copenhagen for passengers arriving at the city’s cruise ship terminal. After winning a competition 2008, Holl’s twin towers and bridge are finally due to start construction in 2016.

- To use the bridge, cyclists will need to pack their bikes into elevators on either side. That’s surely going to be a time-consuming, unwieldy process that, after the initial wow factor is over, might encourage riders just to pedal round the harbor at ground level. And even when the harbor is fully rebuilt, this peripheral site in its northern section will never be one of the most vital links in the city. There is nonetheless a practical underpinning to the bridge plan. Copenhagen laws require new housing to be within 500 meters of a transit stop. The pier where the southern tower is located lies beyond this limit. Spanning the harbor basin will bring residents of the new tower closer to bus stops and to the upcoming new Nordhavn metro station.

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