Wrath Of Gnon

Farther north in Sweden the oldest brick structure is from the 1160s (only known from archaeological finds), but the oldest one still standing is Gumlösa kyrka, in Skåne, which was part of Denmark until 1658. It was consecrated in 1192.pic.twitter.com/bkub1wlf3x

The oldest still standing brick building in Scandinavia is the romanesque Sankt Bendts Kirke from 1170, on the island of Zealand in Denmark. Not that the Nordics did not know about brick, but they had ample reserves of a material more suited for their needs and climate: wood.pic.twitter.com/Z68V82RqsJ

There are several reasons that I do these threads but one major reason is to show that you could get high density walkable cities without tall buildings as long as you build on the human scale & that these cities can be made more attractive, resilient, denser, than modern cities. https://twitter.com/wrathofgnon/status/1186129107408392194 …pic.twitter.com/qmZLiGTDoj

By 1812 the city had over 40 000 people, and it was getting crowded, on par with modern Manilla. But it was still a wildly attractive city, rich and important. At this point a colony would've been good, stopping urban sprawl with a new city built a 15-20 min walk away.pic.twitter.com/BxDTH9GGrG

Market squares where were daily commerce happened, the richer merchant houses surrounding it had covered loggia for setting up stalls and to offer shade, shelter from rain and snow.pic.twitter.com/QoE2aZMAYO

A modern wooden copy was made in 1930, without the greenery it was made a little easier to see the individual garden plots, garden walls and fences, still quite large in the outlying areas of the city (but all still within the defensive walls).pic.twitter.com/jmhV7IaWd1

The master turner Jakob Sandtner made it accurate down to individual doors and windows, even marking out where there were trees. The level of density is not despite a lack of cars and elevators, but because of it. There were still large areas devoted to food production.pic.twitter.com/LkkSW2sVdE

In 1570 a master turner in Munich made this wooden scale model of the city. At the time the city would have had about a population of 16 000 with a density similar to that of modern Seoul. No buildings over six floors, with most at two to four floors only. Plenty of green space.pic.twitter.com/KyVWJXCosK

Of course hardly any of these survived past 1945, but a posh version can be found in the location of the now famous Father Carpenter cafe at Münzstraße 21. It looks like an oasis today.pic.twitter.com/YRggsYYIAN

Building to the edge of the plot in a manner that makes it possible for the buildings to evolve, either to grow dense and profitable, or to find a decent middle position with the best of two worlds: street frontage with the quiet garden in the back. This is sustainable urbanism.pic.twitter.com/6n9uWk5jqv

An example of how townhouses evolved in Berlin: From an 18th c. simple 3 story building with five rooms per floor and a large garden for growing food, keeping livestock to an early 20th c. fully developed plot with only a small courtyard, 5-6fl. Maximum density and #GoodUrbanism.pic.twitter.com/OMx44aoAL3

The hospital was named after its benefactor and institutor, King Frederick V of Denmark (1723-1766). Today it is a museum of design.pic.twitter.com/f2icYcMA4y

And look at the hospital gardens, what a place to recuperate from illness or injuries or, like Søren Kierkegaard in 1855, to spend your last days in life. It was also used to grow medicinal herbs for the patients.pic.twitter.com/WgSVGxbeJa

Nicolai Eigtved and Lauritz de Thurah designed the Fredriks Hospitalet in 1757, “the hospital was run as an independent institution with the purpose of giving free care and cure to patients without means. About two thirds of the patients were treated free of charge.”pic.twitter.com/07QeDD5Cyn

Gentle architecture: this hospital ambulance “drive through” from 1757 in Copenhagen was built with a wooden block driveway to lessen the noise of horses hooves as the carriage entered the vaulted reception area. Ecological, cheap, robust, easily maintained (as we can well see).pic.twitter.com/zlloQ2pxhy