New island in the Copenhagen harbour starts with nature

In Copenhagen, the Danish government and the City of Copenhagen have agreed to establish a new island that will eventually develop into a new, attractive district with room for more than 35.000 inhabitants as well as new infrastructure. Furthermore, Lynetteholm, as it is called, will become a vital part of the climate- and flood protection of Copenhagen, which will be designed as a nature-based climate-proofing solution.

A team of engineers and architects from COWI, Arkitema and THIRD NATURE has been given the task to develop the new 275 acres island. The preliminary work has begun, and the goal is to create an island that will deal with several challenges that the Danish capital is facing. Thus, the island will integrate urban development, urban life, functions, time, economy, and nature in a multi-disciplinary approach.

Lynetteholm is part of the long-standing tradition of urban development and land reclamation that has characterised Copenhagen since it was first founded. Lynetteholm is to come across as a natural expansion and plot a new course for climate-proofing that contributes to the blue and green attractions in the city. Rather than considering the need for climate-proofing and flood protection a stand-alone project, Lynetteholm combines climate-proofing with urban development and presents a unique opportunity to help protect the city against climate change and storm surges by taking a nature-based approach which also adds new urban qualities. In order to realise the above potentials for the island, the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) are used to identify and specify ambitions and objectives for the new Copenhagen district.

As a consequence the development of the island, will become an example of “Nature first” – meaning the plan is to start out by establishing the island and the 60 acres of coastal landscape created on top of surplus soil from building and infrastructure projects on Copenhagen. The used and unfertile soil will, in the coastal areas be soil improved by adding sand to make the soil less compact and calcium to change the Ph value. The landscape architects see this as an opportunity to create unseen floral landscapes and at the same time make room for new and rare species in the area. The continuous landscape belt is varying in width which creates a ‘waving’ stretch of the coast containing varying types of nature. This will provide the condition for a biodiverse and species-rich nature area. The area will bring a great nature experience with a specific local character, both above and below water. These features will make Lynetteholm a unique biological setting easily accessible to more than one million people living in greater Copenhagen.

By founding most of the island’s natural habitats before beginning to build infrastructure and buildings, nature will be able to settle and grow up undisturbed along with the establishment of the new Copenhagen city district.

One of the main reasons Lynetteholm is being established is to create a large-scale climate-proofing of the Danish capital. Rising sea levels and increased risk of flooding is becoming an increased threat to Copenhagen and by creating Lynetteholm it will be possible to protect the harbour and city against storm surges from the north. Thus, the island will become a nature-based climate-proofing solution as the coastline is geared to handle both temporary high water levels and permanent rises of the sea levels.

To the north of Lynetteholm ships will have passage to the Copenhagen Harbour. The passage will hold lock gates between Lynetteholm and Nordhavn that will be shut in case of storm floods, which has been seen more and more often in recent years in Danish waters.

The project is developed in close dialogue with the many stakeholders dedicated to urban development in Copenhagen and involves experts in a range of disciplines. The team consisting of COWI, Arkitema and THIRD NATURE, are preparing the overall plans and the layout of Lynetteholm, which will be fully developed in 2070.

Facts:

Location: Copenhagen Harbour

Year: 2020 - 2070

Size: 275 ha

Main advisor: COWI

Architecture and landscaping: COWI, Arkitema and THIRD NATURE

Client: By & Havn