Being part of the process, from visionary idea, to local development plans, all the way to the final detailing, made it possible for us to push the limits and develop a more comprehensive take on climate adaptation. The issue of increasing rainwater incidents was a central aspect of the design process from the beginning. This prioritisation made it possible to make the entire structure of the new neighbourhood serve the need to direct
water away from the housing. The simple solution simulates a natural landscape and creates coherence with the surrounding landscape. By remodelling the landscape, we created an inexpensive and robust solution for dealing with increasing rainwater. In this new climate-friendly neighbourhood, rainwater is a recreational resource rather than a problem.
We reduced the risk of flood in the new neighbourhood by leading all rainwater above ground through the area and away. The houses sit elevated above the surrounding terrain and the
water flows naturally to local low areas where it becomes lakes. When the water reaches a certain level, it is directed further on to Syv Holme bog.
The future of the suburb is diversity in housing and strong connection to the landscape. Viby is very much your typical suburb – houses surrounded by gardens of various sizes, placed in an agricultural landscape but without access to nature or coherence between landscape and town.
The wishes and demands of newcomers have changed in recent years, as people are moving to suburban areas to live closer to nature and they are looking for recreational possibilities, less maintenance and stronger communities.
Though it’s difficult to predict future housing needs, with our long-term development plan we aimed to create flexibility. The future might be collectives of active elders or families with children, people who want urbanity or a house in nature. The masterplan we designed offers a wide variety of living, which can be built as the need occurs.
Active façades and well-planned transition zones ensure activity in the space, with the clear hierarchy of private and public areas establishing a welcoming atmosphere that encourages social interactions. A neighborhood needs gathering places for casual interactions between neighbors where a sense of community can blossom. A good urban space is where you can always find shelter and sit down or play independently of the wind direction.
A valley landscape is being re-established around the restored Syvmose stream, and open canals and ditches of different sizes direct rainwater from the housing areas to the new valley landscape. Bringing back water to the surroundings restores the natural valley, where a varied meadow landscape with great recreational qualities and high nature value will evolve.
We designed the structure of the new neighbourhood after analysing the landscape, the features of which have been blurred by efficient agricultural machinery and repeated processing of the soil. The design now highlights existing landscape features, by remodelling and placing the new housing structure on the hilltops. The valley is becoming accessible.
Brick paving is a sustainable material with a long lifespan. It ages beautifully and works well in a project like Skousbo, where the housing and street structure will extend over time without degrading the visual
expression of the space. Bricks can be individually removed when there is a need to adjust new water canals or downpipes.