7 - 9 -13

Following project investigates if architecture can play a role in our understanding of protection through the use of products, shapes and colours associated with disasters.

Considering the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Danish minister of defence encouraged the danish municipalities to make an overview of their bomb shelters. Last time this was done was 20 years ago and counted bomb shelters with enough room for 4,7 million people.

Today this corresponds with 80% of the total population.

Today many of these bomb shelters are used for other purposes, such as laundry rooms, wine cellars, rehearsal spaces or even museums. The reason for this repurposing is that there hasn’t been any military threat to Denmark since the Cold War. In this respect, we might need to consider what could take place in the future.

If something ever were to happen. 7-9-13**

Function

7-9-13 plays with the idea of providing one more bomb shelter to the national overview. The construction consists of a simple module made of PVC and sand; readily available, inexpensive and modular because of the sandbags’ structural and

spatial qualities. Sandbags can secure whatever they surround, and while piled up, make complex topics visible as they have been used for protection throughout history. 7-9-13 is made out of almost 800 sandbags and 17 tons of sand.

Afterlife

The Danish Emergency Management Agency uses sandbags for flood protection, while many municipalities hand them out for free to secure houses, structures and parks under flood seasons. The sandbags will therefore have an afterlife to protect certain areas from flooding, as all off them are given to Tårnby commune.

O / Days Fest
Lokation: Copenhagen
År: 2022
Status: Opført
Art Intervention, Urban Design, Material Research

** The origin of the Danish phrase “7-9-13” is unknown. The collection of numbers resembles both lucky and unlucky numbers. The expression is used in folklore to avoid nemesis if you have said something overconfident.