Climate-Adaptive Green Spaces

How can we create green urban spaces that are recreational, climate-adapted, and sustainable? This is the question explored by The Courtyards of the Future – a demonstration project initiated by the City of Copenhagen. The courtyard at Straussvej is Denmark’s first courtyard with a biologically filtered rainwater pond, where water cleans itself, shapes the atmosphere, and becomes a resource for play and recreation.

Rainwater as a Resource

Here, rainwater is an active part of city life: everyday rainfall creates atmosphere and recreational value, while cloudbursts are managed by infiltration or temporary storage, easing the pressure on sewers and reducing flooding risks. Visible rainwater management is combined with a lush courtyard featuring a playground, orchard, hill, greenhouse, and water play areas – along with seating where residents and visitors can pause and rest.

Building Sustainably

The project was designed with sustainability in focus. The orangery, sheds, terraces, and benches are built from surplus and recycled materials, including old windows and discarded wood. The “climate edge,” which directs and stores water, is constructed with crushed recycled concrete instead of gravel, and paving stones have been reused from Copenhagen’s streets and squares. In this way, water management becomes not just a technical solution, but a central part of the courtyard’s architecture, aesthetics, and atmosphere.

The Courtyards of the Future are developed through close collaboration between the City of Copenhagen, HOFOR, residents, and the consultant team BOGL, WSP Danmark, Lendager Group, and Junckerhaven. The project has received recognition from Realdania as one of Denmark’s best climate adaptation projects and in 2023 was awarded the Danish Concrete Innovation Prize.

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