Cloudbursts challenges Danish cities causing flooding and overwhelming the sewage system. There’s a need for water sensitive landscape design to minimize the impacts of increasing rain water on the urban development an environment. The goal is to prevent surges and floods by integrating the flows of water into the landscape.

The water sensitive urban design at the former airbase in Værløse integrates the water cycle, including storm water and groundwater management into the landscape, by drainage off all rain water from roofs, paths and surfaces through new open channels. These channels lead the water to two newly designed lakes just outside the residential area where from it enters the natural water cycle: A new local destination to visit.

At Juul Frost Architects we always approach climate adaption as a possibility to create value. We turn climate changes and challenges into potentials for recreation, leisure and learning and invites the dwellers into nature.

In the courtyards the water harvesting secures a lush and green courtyard resilient towards the changing climate and cloudbursts, and an inviting common zone with views and contact to nature.

The water’s path from the clusters to the lakes goes through the new common hill landscape, which is designed as an experience landscape with ditches and mounds. This creates a number of more intimate, scaled-down spaces in the otherwise open landscape.

The rainwater management is a good example of our ambition to make visible and evoke reflection on climate change. It is our goal to create solutions that inspire a more sustainable way of life by highlighting climate adaptation as a potential for a new aesthetic and recreational opportunities.