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ARCHITECTURAL PARADOX

Frederick Rickmann

ARCHITECTURAL PARADOX

Throughout Europe, the 60's and the 70's saw a rapid expansion of residential building. In Scandinavia as in most other countries, some of the best planning skills and architectural talent were geared to creating large areas of housing. The modern movement was in full cry and dwellings for all sections of society were erected. Now, only 40 years later, the towering ambitions of the architectural profession are being demolished. It is a striking paradox that some of the worst

THE FAILURE OF CITY PLANNING

Frederick Rickmann

THE FAILURE OF CITY PLANNING

This desert of rubble was photographed in 2014. It’s the place where I grew up, lived with my family, played with the kids in the neighbourhood, went to school, did shopping with my parents. It is totally destroyed. That might not be so unusual in this age of urban renewal. Old disfunctional buildings must gave way to new. The tragedy of the photo is not that the rubble comes from the building I lived in. The rubble is from the buildings which were planned and built to replac

Reflections of the times

Frederick Rickmann

Reflections of the times

DNgroup HQ, STEENSSEN, 70MEDiA and AFR Thinking Urban have moved from this great downtown location in Aarhus - to a really creative environment in Horsens, Denmark. The new location gives not only the right surroundings for an innovative team but also a much reduced carbon footprint. See you in Horsens!!! #DNgroupHQ #ReflectionsOfTheTimes #Aarhus #Horsens #Denmark #AFR #ThinkingUrban #UrbanPlan #CityPlanning #UrbanDesign #BlueAndOtherShapes #architect #FrederickRickmann #70ME

Glass vs. Brick. Modern vs. Old. Barcelona

Frederick Rickmann

Glass vs. Brick. Modern vs. Old. Barcelona

The capital of Catalonia offers many sight like this one. Glass and steel juxtaposed with brick. A great example of future rooted into the past. #Barcelona #Catalonia #CulturalSustainability #AFR #ThinkingUrban #UrbanPlan #UrbanDesign #BlueAndOtherShapes #architect #FrederickRickmann #70MEDiA #DNgroup #1234Design #Denmark #arkitekt #Danmark #建築師 #出版社 #帝山諾 #丹麥設計

The White House - windows of opportunity

Frederick Rickmann

The White House - windows of opportunity

As an architect, I always wanted glass to be glass. Windows should be more like transparent walls, rather than holes in a wall and that windows should not be subdivided into small panes. This is especially true with double and triple glazing where small panes are really just a pain when window-cleaning. However I also have to recognise, that sash-bars on windows really do add a kind of screening quality to windows. This applies both to the outside and also to the inside. Inte

The serenity of Hong Kong

Frederick Rickmann

The serenity of Hong Kong

Looking out over Causeway Bay on a calm cloudy evening. Even in the most vibrant and buzzing conurbations, there are periods when the world seems to stand still. So if your ask - can the population on the earth live as close and dense as in Hong Kong? - the answer can only be, "sure, if the design is right". #TheSerenityofHongKong #CausewayBay #China #UrbanPlan #CityPlanning #UrbanDesign #香港 #銅鑼灣 #architect #FrederickRickmann #AFR #ThinkingUrban #70MEDiA #DNgroup #1234Design

Cultural Sustainability

Frederick Rickmann

Cultural Sustainability

The societies which thrive best are the ones where the strengths of the past are brought together with the growth of the new parts of the city. Urban neighbourhoods are about people and people need roots and understanding to flourish. The best cities in the world - where tourists flock and gather - are the ones which have maintained their cultural heritage. For a city to be sustainable, the cultural elements are in fact more important in the long run, than environmental susta

A place to live

Frederick Rickmann

A place to live

London has been a very densely populated city for centuries. But the striking thing about London is that round almost every corner you can find places of human scale. It’s a place to live. Our new cities must embrace that concept of "place". Read more from: https://www.steenssen.com/product-page/blue-and-other-shapes #A_place_to_live #London #UK #FotoBlog #architect #FrederickRickmann #AFR #ThinkingUrban #70MEDiA #DNgroup #1234Design #Denmark #arkitekt #Danmark #建築師 #建築事務所 #出

Bring back the street!

Frederick Rickmann

Bring back the street!

We are constantly campaigning to bring back the "street" as an element of urban design. Cities and towns in times past have arranged themselves around the street with great success. Buildings on either side of about 3 storeys to create an architectural space: Enough distance between for privacy and access at the same time. A mix of uses. And you get a thriving place which is safe and most pleasant for shopping working and living. #bring_back_the_street #Kyoto #Japan #UrbanPla

Street Signs from East Berlin

Not an exceptional street

Frederick Rickmann

Not an exceptional street

There is nothing exceptional about the architecture, yet there is something about the soul of this street in Nuremberg that is just right. Somehow it is a very human place to live. And somehow it encompasses what Arkitekt Frederick Rickmann (AFR), Thinking Urban, is about. Creating new city places which are human. #Not_an_exceptional_street #Nuremberg #FotoBlog #70MEDiA #Photographic_Images_by_Arkitekt_Frederick_Rickmann #AFR #ThinkingUrban #UrbanPlan #CityPlanning #UrbanDesi

Corona and the new shape of cities

Frederick Rickmann

Corona and the new shape of cities

Quite suddenly, under the corona crisis, our city streets have been rediscovered. Traffic has vanished in the lock-downs and people have taken to walking and cycling around. In the process we have rediscovered our own cities and the pleasure of just being able to walk. The absence of traffic has changed the sound of cities as well. The roar of the traffic has given way to bird songs and for the first time in many decades, the air has been clean and free of much of the polluti

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