Climate Adaptation

Climate change means that in the future we will experience heavier rainfall, cloudbursts, and storm surges. This can lead to flooding with major financial consequences for developers and society. There is therefore a need for careful planning and innovative thinking to protect existing assets and to develop new areas and solutions that are adapted to larger volumes of water.

Water requires space

Water will increasingly affect our society and landscape. Water must be given space and will become more visible in the future in the form of meadows, watercourses, storage areas, rain gardens, or more traditional basins and channels on both public and private land.

The new solutions and landscapes that emerge as a result represent a new paradigm that overlays everything we plan and design. We are therefore faced with a rare opportunity—and responsibility—to shape and further develop our cities and landscapes as resilient places for people to live in the future.

Hydraulic considerations are integrated from the very beginning

We offer hydraulic screening, modelling, design of channels, pipes, and structures, operations manuals and site supervision, as well as landscape design of hydraulic solutions. We specialise in integrating hydraulics as the primary parameter from the very beginning.

In addition, we place particular emphasis on creating nature and urban spaces where people want to spend time in interaction with water, with respect for water, and thereby create the foundation for new values—for example in land development, new natural areas, roads, cycle paths, stations, forecourts, and more.

Multifunctional Stormwater Park in Sydhavnen

The central median on Scandiagade in Copenhagen’s old Sydhavnen district has been transformed into an innovative urban space with eight multifunctional basins capable of storing 1,500 m³ of rainwater. When it rains, the basins delay the runoff so the sewers do not overflow. In dry weather, they open up for a wide range of activities.

As subconsultant to 1:1 Landskab, SYSTRA contributed detailed civil engineering design as well as construction management and site supervision, including hydraulic calculations for the SuDS project.

Efficient solutions and green spaces

We have extensive experience in screening infrastructure assets, urban and natural areas, and coastal stretches to identify potential flood-prone areas. We carry out detailed mapping and analyses of water flows, and on both small and large-scale projects we deliver well-considered interdisciplinary solutions where climate adaptation can be crucial.

Local infiltration of rainwater through SuDS solutions can be an effective way to green areas while also making use of the water and enhancing biodiversity. In other cases, the shaping and experience of water and landscape are the key considerations, while effective protection of a rail corridor may call for different solutions.

Whether it concerns new developments or the safeguarding of an existing area, we work interdisciplinarily with a focus on safety and reassurance for the client. Our skilled team of landscape architects is involved throughout the process and excels at balancing technical requirements with softer values.