The Australian architect Marshall Blecher and the Danish design studio Foxtrot have unveiled plans for a new kind of public space in the heart of Copenhagen, a “park” of floating islands.
The islands of Copenhagen, this is the name of the project. It is a non-profit initiative that introduces a new concept of public park. The success of CPH-Ø1 follows, the first prototype island launched in 2018 and anchored in various parts of the city port.
The Copenhagen Islands project plans to launch three artificial islands in 2020, with more planned in the future.
Mobile, floating and free for public use, the Copenhagen Islands concept was conceived as a way to revitalize the forgotten parts of the city's old harbour. The redevelopment also allows the introduction of green spaces for the benefit of local residents, fauna and flora.
Like the CPH-Ø1 prototype, which was a 20 square meter wooden platform with a lime tree in the center, all the islands of Copenhagen will be built by hand using traditional techniques in the shipyards in the south port of the city.
Multipurpose islands
The islands will serve as platforms for various activities: from swimming areas and floating saunas to gardens. Even a “sailing” bar. Endemic plants, trees and grasses will grow on the islets to provide habitat for birds and insects, while the space beneath each island will be ideal for algae, fish and shellfish.
The islands can be moved seasonally between parts of the port that are under-exploited and recently developed to help catalyze urban growth.
In winter, the islands can be joined together to create a “super continent” for special events or festivals.
Building nature
The project also suggests a new type of climate-resistant urbanism, intrinsically flexible in its use and which uses only sustainable and recycled materials of origin.
