Nordør – New Park in Nordhavn project by Team SLA. Image © Team SLA
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https://www.archdaily.com/1034482/team-sla-to-design-new-30-hectare-coastal-nature-park-in-copenhagen-denmark
The City of Copenhagen has announced Team SLA as the winner of a design competition to create a new, large-scale urban park in Nordhavn. The project, titled “Nordør – New Park”, was designed by Team SLA and By & Havn, and envisions a 30-hectare (75-acre) coastal nature park. Led by the design studio SLA, Team SLA includes VITA Engineers, Urban Agency, Aaen Engineering, Pihlmann Architects, Buro Happold, Kerstin Bergendal, Holdbart, and Aiming Spaces.
A “nature park” is a protected area where conservation is balanced with sustainable development and human use. It often encompasses human-shaped cultural landscapes and integrates strategies for regional development, supporting local communities and promoting the conscious use of the land. This framework allows the proposal to be understood as a platform for recreation, eco-tourism, environmental education, research, and regional growth.
Nordør – New Park in Nordhavn project by Team SLA. Image © Team SLA
The design of SLA’s Nordør – New Park is rooted in the idea of allowing nature’s own processes the space and time to evolve. The proposal envisions a varied topography of social and ecological landscapes formed from decades of deposited soil, slopes, and ridges left by Copenhagen’s construction sites. One of the project’s stated goals is to function as both a carbon sink and a biodiversity driver, aiming to sequester more CO₂ than it emits and to act as a catalyst for new habitats on land, coast, and sea, both within and beyond the site.
Related Article The Architecture of Rewilding: Designing for Ecosystem Recovery
The project seeks to set new global standards for climate-positive and nature-positive urban design while redefining Copenhagen’s relationship with its water. Habitats for rare species would be preserved, expanded, and left undisturbed, while lagoons, meadows, beaches, grasslands, forest edges, and marine reefs are envisioned to reshape the site into a dynamic meeting point between land and sea, offering equal space for people and wildlife alike.
Nordør – New Park in Nordhavn project by Team SLA. Image © Team SLA
Nordør – New Park in Nordhavn project by Team SLA. Existing site. Image © Team SLA
The proposal is based on a year-long citizen dialogue involving residents, nature organizations, local sports clubs, and other stakeholders. Suggested new activities include football fields, a universally accessible southern beach, playgrounds, activity areas, and community houses within a framework of wild, self-growing nature, combining everyday amenities for residents with tools for ecological resilience. Quiet wilderness zones in the north would prioritize birds, amphibians, and insects, allowing visitors to experience these ecosystems up close.
Nordør – New Park in Nordhavn project by Team SLA. Image © Team SLA
According to Mette Skjold from SLA, one of the project’s main objectives is to counter the growing alienation from nature by designing a public landmark “rooted in community, wild nature, climate adaptation, and the city’s rich diversity of life.” Other project highlights include The Stub, a 24-meter-high viewing point; The Ore, a west-facing lagoon beach with small islands; and The Forest Edge, a one-kilometer-long, species-rich woodland, the longest in Copenhagen. The construction of the park is expected to begin in 2028.
Nordør – New Park in Nordhavn project by Team SLA. Image © Team SLA
Other recent news from the Danish design studio SLA includes the design of a new waterfront island community in Toronto, Canada, and the contribution of a landscape design for the UAE Pavilion at Expo Osaka 2025, which bridges nature and architecture through a nature-based approach. Also in Denmark, the first edition of the Copenhagen Architecture Biennial opened on September 18 and will run until October 19 under the theme “Slow Down.” The event features two “Slow Pavilion” designs built from reused materials, each offering a distinct approach to architectural deceleration.