Ifah Sakinah
Image credit: Marshall Blecher
Copenhagen unveils plans for innovative floating parks in the heart of the city — a “parkipelago” of floating islands.
A joint initiative between Australian architect Marshall Blecher and Danish design studio, Studio Fokstrot, the project will reinvigorate the languishing precinct of the city’s old harbour while setting in motion a green space free for everyone to use.
Made entirely from sustainably sourced and recycled materials, the floating parks will incorporate traditional wooden boat building techniques and will be hand-crafted in the city’s boat-building yards.
Endemic trees and grass species will also adorn the levitating platforms to emulate an uninhabited island while providing a sanctuary for birds and insects.
Image credit: Fokstrot
The floating public parks are designed for a plethora of activities – from safe swim zones to sail-in cafés and gardens to floating saunas. It will be accessible by kayak and personal boats — a common mode of transportation in Europe’s coolest green city.
In addition to that, the islands can move seasonally between under-utilised and newly developed locations to help catalyse urban growth.
A prototype of the floating public parks in Copenhagen, given the sobriquet CPH-Ø1, emerged in 2018 as a 215 sq ft dock, getting off to a good start.
Also read: 7 Reasons to Visit Denmark Right Now
According to a statement from Studio Fokstrot, the park served as a changing green space for visitors, “moving from place to place, hosting part of a photography exhibition, a series of talks and many seaside picnics.”
The creative endeavour dubbed ‘Copenhagen Islands’ was accorded the Taipei International Design Award for public space and the award for social design.
Copenhagen has long been a pioneer of the green movement. 80% of its locals live within a distance of 300 metres to a green area and it has an extensive environmentally-conscious transport system in place amongst many other eco-friendly initiatives.
Copenhagen takes its place as one of the greenest cities in the world once again with the beautiful floating public parks in the making.
