Åbenrå 36 is based on the belief that the buildings we save today are the ones that offer people the possibility of a variety of uses and the ability to express their identity over time while being in dialogue with their context. Therefore, the spaces and buildings that we protect today are not the ones that tried to impose new ways of living, but the ones that remained flexible to what the future brought.
“First life, then spaces, then buildings” is the mantra upon which the project is based: life is used as the façade material and as a consequence, architecture becomes just a platform to frame whatever people’s daily life comes up with.

Åbenrå 36 aims to provide a framework for life’s diversity by means of two different formal concepts:

• THE CANVAS is flexible by creating a canvas for as many possible public/commercial uses as possible. The Canvas is designed as an empty semitransparent stage for diverse public and shared life. The space is flexible to room diverse functions, like cafes, workshops, bars, shops, exhibition spaces or whatever the community will need 100 years from now.
• THE FRAME is flexible by giving residents room to express their individuality. The façade towards the courtyard is made of frames where people have the full possibility to personalize the space right in front of their windows. The façade towards the church has a shared terrace that works as a shared “living room” extension of the studio apartments. Here people can put tables, chairs and sofas, park their bikes and furnish the space with their plants and decorations.