Water on the sidelines in Gladsaxe

The framework of the project is the sports centre by Gladsaxe Stadium constituting a sports area of 23 hectare with traditional playing fields and sports hall. Previously, the area was primarily used for club-based activities. This is why the municipality of Gladsaxe has wanted to establish a number of new facilities that can invite users in who normally do not frequent the centre, including the elderly and girls.

After a flooding of the bowling alley in 2011 and a planned climate adaptation project from Nordvand, an opportunity arose to work with a physical improvement of the facility’s outdoor areas making them more appealing to informal and spontaneous activities and at the same time realising the wish of Nordvand to retain rainwater in the sports area.

Today, a number of rainwater pools form the starting point of new facilities that can both bring traditional indoor sports outside and attract new user groups.

Climate adaptation creates added value for the city’s inhabitants
VANDPLUS (i.e. water plus; rainwater with added value) is about seeing a challenge as an opportunity. In the coming years, we will invest billions in climate adaptation. Instead of spending such funds on technical solutions underground, VANDPLUS shows how the investments can be integrated in the development of new urban spaces. This way, we adapt our cities making them robust enough to withstand torrential rains and we develop them so that they become better to live in; climate adaptation and quality of life in one fell swoop.

VANDPLUS is a partnership between the Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities, Realdania and the Danish Nature Agency. The partnership has awarded DKK 12 million to a total of four projects in Frederiksberg, Gladsaxe, Solrød and Viborg that each in their own way show how to realise the mindset behind VANDPLUS.

From January 2013 and up to the end of 2015, the four projects have worked intensely on developing the possibilities of creating climate adaptation with added value. This has required new forms of co-operation, innovative architects and engineers and not least hard work. VANDPLUS is actually about identifying the possibilities of synergy and double application which is part of our urban spaces. This is about not only handling rain water, but also how we at the same timer develop our cities making them more social, active and robust climate-wise.