The project WaterPlus responds to the need for an immediate climate change adaptation strategy in the municipality of Solrød located 30 km southeast of Copenhagen. This project transforms an inaccessible and unused plot into a park, activity center, educational laboratory, and water management facility. The project gets its richness from the intersection of these programs.
WaterPlus enhances the possibility for physical activities and social exchange within a centrally located plot that has been identified by the Greve Solrød Supply as one of the most important areas for placement of water basins. The project area is adjacent to the Gymnasium of Solrød, a large five-story housing complex and the Solrød Shopping mall. The diversity of surrounding demographics enables large involvement and use of the project area by a variety of users.
The project’s overall structure is defined by a continuous canal that wraps around several water basins that will periodically be filled with rainwater. The rainwater capacity of the canal and basins is to be 4000 m3. When empty though, the basins offer a great variety of activities and the canal offers an exciting and innovative skating area shaped as a half-pipe. The basins define micro-environments with a variety of characteristics and uses.
Integrated within the structure of the canal and the basins is a playground, a rain garden, a basketball court, climbing facilities, skating opportunities, ball-playing areas, physical exercise equipment and classroom-like facilities that all combined contribute to new ways of exercising and being active. The project also facilitates calm space for social and cultural exchange between the area’s users.
WaterPlus
Location | Solrød, Denmark
Design Firm | Active City Transformation
Consultants | Rambøll
Image and Text credit | Active City Transformation