The project, titled Holmene (the Islets) was designed by Urban Power architecture and planning. One of the islands will be home to Northern Europe’s largest waste-to-energy conversion plant. Bio-waste and waste water from the 1.5 million or so residents of the Greater Copenhagen region will be turned into clean water and biogas, providing spaces for wind energy and local wildlife. The islands will built up so they're 5.5m above sea level. The soil will also provide a natural flood barrier that can protect against rising sea levels.
The government said the Holmene project is scheduled to begin in 2022, would alleviate a shortage of land in the Danish capital, by creating:
The government said the Holmene project is scheduled to begin in 2022, would alleviate a shortage of land in the Danish capital, by creating:
- 3.1 million square meters (33 million square feet) of new land
- Space for up to 380 new businesses, located near Copenhagen airport
- 700,000 square meters of nature
- 17 kilometers of new coastline
- More than €7.2 billion in economic activity
The first plots of land will be sold in 2028 and the project, the financial details of which have not been disclosed, should be completed by 2040. Architects have commissioned roughly 26mn cubic meters of surplus soil from prior subway and building projects to build the artificial islands.
The mammoth project follows another major infrastructure initiative announced last autumn, in which 20,000 new homes will be built on a polder, low-lying land reclaimed from the sea, north of the capital.
The mammoth project follows another major infrastructure initiative announced last autumn, in which 20,000 new homes will be built on a polder, low-lying land reclaimed from the sea, north of the capital.
