Ørestad
2011 - 2014
Creating a human scale in Ørestad
A neighborhood that accommodates major events and everyday life
Residential neighborhoods with low-rise buildings are situated adjacent to an ice rink, a school, and the Royal Arena. In the Arenakvarteret (Arena Quarter), a new scale is introduced—a kind of intermediate scale that adds new dimensions and spatial qualities to the entire Ørestad area.
In collaboration with Realdania and the Municipality of Copenhagen, By & Havn conducted a parallel assignment in the spring of 2011 to design a completely new urban district in Ørestad. The proposal by Vandkunsten was selected as the best and has served as the basis for the development of the Arenakvarteret.
The Arenakvarteret is a new urban district in Ørestad, encompassing approximately 270,000 square meters of construction, including smaller residential neighborhoods, along with the Royal Arena, a new ice rink, a primary school, and other public institutions.
Mixed functions and variation in scale
The master plan highlights a new green connection to Kalvebod Fælled (Kalvebod Common) as a structuring element, to which the new sports facilities and institutions are linked. These elements also serve as focal points for their respective smaller residential neighborhoods, characterized by a unique, low-rise, and human-scale design that is novel for Ørestad.
Concept pixel plan
The conceptual plan sketch illustrates the concentration of both low-rise residential neighborhoods and large volumes in the Arenakvarteret, which stands in contrast to the large blocks in Ørestad Syd.
Between the ice rink and the arena.
A clear urban edge towards the landscape
Kalvebod Fælled extends throughout the Arenakvarteret, forming a city common. The use of consistent plant species in both the city common and the surrounding areas helps create a cohesive and harmonious landscape. The vegetation in the city common includes meadow grasses, wild perennials, and grasses.
Rainwater management
Local rainwater management is an integral part of the landscape design for the city common.
Arrival at the Royal Arena from Kanalpladsen.
Kanalpladsen is the local square and meeting place that one encounters when approaching from Ørestad Boulevard. It serves as the access point to the Royal Arena, an ice rink, and the city common. After the competition, Vandkunsten was tasked with designing the urban space and square, and it is among the first elements to be constructed in the neighborhood.
The city common.
The overall green structure in the neighborhood consists of the ‘city common,’ which acts as a green riverbed extending from Kalvebod Fælled to the west to the metro station to the east. This ‘riverbed’ introduces the biodiversity of the common into the new district, bordered by urban spaces and public institutions.
City and city common meet
The neighborhood is divided into five quarters, each named after its adjacent surroundings - Skovkvarteret (Forest Quarter), Kanalkvarteret (Canal Quarter), Fælledkvarteret (Common Quarter), and so on.
Project facts
Facts
Project name: Arenakvarteret
Category:Planning
Client: By & Havn
Location: Ørestad
Gross area: 270.000 m²
Date: 2011 - 2014
Status: Finished
Project
Program: City planning, local plan, construction project, landscape
Job type: 1. prize in competition
Contact: Thomas Nybo Rasmussen, tnr@vandkunst.dk
Project group: Pernille Schyum Poulsen, Jan Albrechtsen, Camilla Libonati, Christian Stahlfest Holck Skov
Employees: Kristian Seier, Lærke Møldrup and Sirkku Singer
Team
Architect: Tegnestuen Vandkunsten
Landscape: Tegnestuen Vandkunsten
Engineer: Rambøll