Daniaparken, Malmö
departure point for the design, as did the elevated
mass of fill material that the boulders prevent from
eroding into the water. In a way, the park is open to
the land and closed to the sea.
Along the boulder line runs a tarred wooden wall,
or palisade, 1.4m high. Consequently you can look
over it, if you are tall enough, but not through it.
Three tilted concrete planes, the Scouts, penetrate
the wall and boulder line and permit visitors access
to the water. Along the wall, on the inner side, is a
wide gravelled walk with park benches, suitable for
promenades and biking. The large multi-use grass
field, the Lawn, is distinguished from the walk by
two lines of trees. The Lawn is appropriate for play-
ing as well as for larger events, as it provides space
for several thousands of people. To the north, the
grass field ends with a terraced garden of perennial
plants and to the east a grass slope provides pos-
sibilities for sitting on the ground. Along the east-
ern border, towards the residential area, stretches
another gravelled walk with a single line of trees
and simple stone benches under the canopies.
The elevated parts of the park are of great impor-
tance for the design concept. A large flat table,
called the Node, lies about 6m above water level
in the north-east corner of the park. Three tarred
wooden boxes, the Balconies, overlook the grass
field, from the slope to the west of the park.
The general lightning of the park is provided by
three slightly tilted masts, 16m high, equipped with
well-directed spotlights. The different places and
elements have different forms of illumination, co-
ordinated with their different design and character.Scale
The park is mostly about scale, proportion and space
for social activity. The design is like Pandora’s box,
comprising spaces and places of various sizes and
qualities that address various kinds of visitors and
activities. Andersson has described it as follows:The park contains a series of social spa-
ces from the large park benches where a
family can have a picnic, via the Balconies
for about ten people. The Scouts provide for
about 20–30. The Node provides space for
a few hundreds, and finally the Lawn can, if
required, accommodate thousands of people.
That’s the idea.^5Elements
Because of the extraordinarily large size of the park,
one could argue that it lacks what would tradition-
ally be described as a sense of space, meaning
enclosed space defined by surrounding walls. On
the other hand, one can argue that the park con-
tains a number of parts or elements that separately
have such a strong form and character that they cre-