Some 10 kilometres south of Copenhagen, in Denmark, nine islands are set to rise under the banner of technological innovation and sustainability, complete with wind installations, one of northern Europe's waste-to-energy plants, research centres, protected natural areas and green spaces open to the public. Construction work on Holmene — the name of the project — will begin in 2022 and finish in 2040, with an investment of 425 million euros. The project has been presented by the Danish government, the municipality of Hvidovre and the architecture firm Urban Power.

The evolution of an industrial area

Historically, the coastline of the area consisted of small uninhabited islands with rich and diverse vegetation and wildlife. In the 1960s, driven by economic development, the area was completely cleared to make way for the construction of factories, leaving it today as a barren industrial landscape.

Now, 50 years on, the industrial area is in need of transformation. The remediation of the area aims at high-value prospective development, reconciling the needs of businesses, residents and nature. To build Holmene, the land will be reclaimed by adding around 26 million cubic metres of earth that Copenhagen has in surplus, sourced from excavation works carried out for the expansion of the metro and other construction projects.

Cutting-edge technologies for the nine islands

The islands will offer 3 million square metres of new space to be used as industrial, commercial, recreational, sporting and natural areas.

Some of the islands will be closed to the public to host pristine nature, so as to improve the country's biodiversity; others, by contrast, will accommodate parks and recreational facilities with free access for the population.

On the side facing the open sea, a flood-protection barrier will be built to guard against flooding events that, due to the effects of climate change, could become more frequent.

The largest island will be dedicated to the development of green technology projects, renewable technologies and the construction of northern Europe's largest waste-to-energy plant. Here, biodegradable waste and wastewater from 1.5 million Copenhagen residents will be treated and converted into biogas and clean water. Heat storage is also planned, along with electricity generation through a wind installation. The entire system will generate around 300,000 MWh of clean energy — enough to meet the energy demand of a quarter of the city — and an annual reduction of at least 70,000 tonnes of CO2.