Cinematic Symbiotic
Palads Biotopia
Centre for Cinema & Ecology

Type: Research, Development 
By: Djernes & Bell
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Year: 2021
Published: 22 Apr 2022

Cinematic Symbiotic: Palads Biotopia imagines Axel Torv & Palads as Copenhagen's new centre for Biodiversity and Symbiosis, a Centre for Climate hope and action. Like the shared root word ‘bios’ indicates, life is at the centre of this proposal. Palads and the history of cinema that it represents inspires a feeling of connection and belonging, a common culture that is worth protecting.

We propose extending this principle to illustrate the
interconnectedness of all things and creating a new centre for cinema, interactive and installation art and climate & biodiversity. Preserving Palads’ historic and cultural monument, we wish to build a contextual and regenerative roof-top extension to house new galleries for climate cinema and art. Axel Torv is transformed to a landscape for ecological recovery.

Using principles of regenerative landscape and excavation, we will establish a new habitat where inter-species communities (including humans). We will restore the quality of the soil and porosity of the landscape as well as re-establish the historic waterways that once flowed in the earth at the site, and to which the still standing Waterworks are testament.

Biotopia is dedicated to intersection of cinema, art and science with an emphasis on climate, ecology and regenerating the living environment. Biotopia seeks to make the abstract and complex concepts of climate and biodiversity crises accessible. We wish to create a place that invites everyone to form tactile and empowering understanding of how collective change is possible and very necessary. Together we can build the Symbiocene.