In-depth analyses in  Copenhagen Harbour

Water is a defining element in the development and identity of Copenhagen. Only a few capitals can show off a harbour environment that is suitable for a swim, and the visual qualities help shape the city’s architecture.

The desire to fulfil the potential is clearly seen in the neighbourhood Sydhavnen, where the blue landscape runs between the buildings on the inlets Sluseholmen and Teglholmen. For more than 20 years, Artelia has contributed to the development of the channel city, which is now growing even larger with the transformation of the quay Enghave Brygge, where the development company By & Havn is both site owner, project responsible and client. The former industrial area is to be transformed into a district with its own metro station, which means that it will only take a few minutes to go to the city centre. The metro square will be a unifying urban space in the new residential and commercial district, where Artelia is responsible for all civil works services for the project designed by Juul Frost Architects. A project that covers an area of approx. 75,000 m² and embraces everything from utilities to roads, paths and open spaces.

In line with the style of the other islets, several channels will be established, which is another major part of our project along with three new road bridges. Enghave Brygge is already connected to Tegholmen with the bridge Alfred Nobels Bro, which we designed together with Cobe Architects some years back.

Channel and harbour structures
Our qualifications within marine and geotechnical engineering have played an important role in the creation of Enghave Brygge. For the future channels and harbour structures, we were responsible for the project design of sheet pilings, bulwarks and other measures such as stone pitching, where this is necessary.

At the same time, we have helped assess how best to use the necessary extra land for the new building plot and ensure an optimal construction pace for the infill. As part of the project, a temporary construction pit will be established at a depth of 10 metres, where the utility company HOFOR will carry out a major re-routing of district heating pipelines to prepare for the new buildings.
The pit must be kept completely dry but is only separated from the water by sheet piles. It requires several safety measures such as extreme groundwater lowering for water not to seep up from the limestone.

Climate proofing
Resistance to climate change is another important component in the design of Enghave Brygge, and the expected sea level rise is an important part of the equation. The same applies one kilometre to the north, where another example is found of our work with climate protection in the harbour Inderhavnen.

As part of the BREEAM certification of Fisketorvet – Copenhagen Mall, we have analysed how the waterfront and the mall itself can remain robust against future water masses and storm events. Here, we have obtained and interpreted public statistics on the water level and hydraulic models for storm surge events in different climate scenarios. At the same time, that knowledge is combined with forecasts for future water level rises.

Geotechnician and marine engineer Meesha Olesen contributed to the analysis, which also includes wave impact and current conditions. As Meesha explains, Fisketorvet is not the only example of Artelia providing maritime inputs via the use of international certification :