Refshaleøen

PROJECT

SERVICES

Competition Proposal (UR), Urban Nature, Biodiversity, and Landscaping

SPECIES

House Sparrow, Starling, Black Redstart, Bumblebees

SIZE

800,000 square meters

WHERE

Copenhagen, Denmark

WHEN

2025

CUSTOMER

Refshaleøen Real Estate Company A/S, By & Havn Development Company I/S

TOGETHER WITH

Cobe, Dorte Mandrup, WSP, Aiming Spaces, Culture Works, and consultants

Building Biodiversity is part of the interdisciplinary team led by COBE that won the contract to develop the master plan for Refshaleøen. Drawing on Refshaleøen’s industrial heritage, man-made landscapes, and spontaneous nature, the vision for a new urban nature—Novel Natures—is being developed. The site’s existing structures, pioneer flora, and temporary landscapes become active resources in the transformation. Through nature-inclusive architecture and landscape design, a robust and vibrant hybrid landscape is created, where biodiversity, ecological processes, and social communities support one another—with a particular focus on the long-term management and development of this new nature.

Local seeds and existing natural features are propagated at a local nursery and incorporated into circular planting practices, while roofs, facades, urban spaces, and transition zones are developed as new habitats, growing areas, and gathering places. As a concrete tool, the biodiversity strategy is based on a focus-species approach, in which focus species serve as design parameters. The species’ needs are translated into targeted landscape interventions that strengthen habitats, ecological connections, and overall biodiversity. The vision is a green and diverse neighborhood where nature, culture, and urban life intertwine—with high biodiversity, access to urban nature, and a strong local identity as the foundation for Refshaleøen’s future development.

Focus Species

Overview of Various Target Species

Starling

The starling is a lively bird with dark, metallic-sheened plumage. It feeds primarily on insects and worms in open areas and nests in cavities in trees and buildings. Grasslands and old trees can therefore be important habitats.

House sparrow

The house sparrow is a small, social bird that often lives close to people. It eats seeds and small insects and likes to nest in cavities in buildings. Shrubs, seed-bearing plants, and good nesting sites provide it with shelter and food.

Black redstart

The house redstart thrives in open urban environments with buildings, rocks, and bare surfaces. It catches insects from vantage points and builds its nest in crevices and cavities. It is well adapted to industrial areas and other rugged urban environments.

Tree bumblebee

The house bumblebee is a compact bumblebee with a brownish thorax and a light-colored abdomen. It often builds its nest above ground in cavities, such as in birdhouses and buildings. It pollinates many different flowers and thrives in green urban environments with varied vegetation.

Garden bumblebee

The garden bumblebee has a long tongue, which makes it particularly well-suited to visiting flowers with deep corollas, and it is an important pollinator of these flowers. It needs flowers throughout the season and suitable nesting sites.

“On Refshaleøen, nature has found its own way through the concrete and asphalt since the shipyard closed. There is a sense of immediacy and wildness about the island’s natural environment that can serve as inspiration for future work.”