Floating islands bring a new type of public park to Copenhagen

Australian architect Marshall Blecher and Danish design studio Fokstrot have unveiled plans for a new type of public space in the heart of Copenhagen — a “parkipelago” of floating islands.

Dubbed the Copenhagen Islands, this non-profit initiative follows the success of CPH-Ø1, the first prototype island that launched in 2018 and was anchored in various parts of the city harbor. Copenhagen Islands plans to launch three more human-made islands in 2020, with more planned in the future.

Mobile, floating and free for public use, the Copenhagen Islands concept was created as a way to revitalize the forgotten parts of the city’s old harbor while introducing green space for the benefit of local residents, fauna and flora. Like the CPH-Ø1 prototype, which was a 20-square-meter timber platform with a linden tree at the center, all Copenhagen Islands will be constructed by hand using traditional techniques in the boat-building yards in the city’s south harbor.

The islands will serve as platforms for different activities ranging from swim zones and floating saunas to gardens and a sail-in cafe. Endemic plants, trees and grasses will grow atop the island to provide habitat for birds and insects, while the space below each island is ideal for seaweed, fish and mollusks. The islands can be moved seasonally between underutilized and newly developed parts of the harbor to help catalyze urban growth. In winter, the islands can be joined together to create a “super continent” for special events or festivals.

“The islands reintroduce wilderness and whimsy to the rapidly gentrifying harbor and offer a constantly changing, generous green space in the center of the city,” the architects explained. “The project also hints at a new type of climate resilient urbanism, inherently flexible in its use and only using sustainably sourced and recycled materials.” Copenhagen Islands has received the Taipei International Design Awards for Public Space as well as the award for Social Design.