Gladsaxe Sports Park – Dual Function Climate Adaptation Solutions

Large institutions, such as sports and leisure centers, often seal off extensive land areas. However, it can be a challenge to integrate green solutions for sustainable urban drainage due to the nature of these facilities.

Damaging Cloudbursts

Gladsaxe’s sports and leisure center experienced significant damage during a major cloudburst in the summer of 2011. The city and the local utility company therefore initiated a climate adaptation project to safeguard the area from future storm water flooding and subsequent damages, while investing in the public sport facilities at the same time.

Climate Adaption and Facility Upgrade

The underlying idea of the now combined renovation and adaptation project was to create space for rainwater in a way that supports the further development of the center and provides upgrades to the existing sport and leisure facilities. As a result, city and utility together designed, planned and implemented 10 multifunctional projects, which unite hydrological and recreational functions.

Hydraulic functionality with Recreational Value

From a hydraulic perspective, all interventions lead to the creation of open basins, which provide retention space for rainwater during cloudbursts. From a recreational perspective, the interventions doubled as sport pitches, skating and BMX facilities, playgrounds, trampolines and outdoor gyms.

Major Cost Advantages for Utility and City

Surface based climate adaptation solutions are more cost effective for utilities than ‘traditional’ underground solutions, since they require fewer undergorund works, if compared to sewer capacity extensions. This cost advantage enables utilities like NOVAFOS to climate adapt larger areas.

Surface based climate adaptation solutions can in many cases serve as the base for recreational facilities. This potentially provides a major cost advantage for municipalities, since many of the investments into the hydraulic elements “below”, such as basins, concrete floors and other types, can serve as a base for recreational facilities “on top”.

Integrated Planning is Key to Success

Due to well-coordinated planning and management, the cost of the integrated renovation project, was successfully reduced by €3.9M. The final price was €9.8M instead of €13.7M, which would have been the total amount for two separate projects, based on price estimates for an underground sewer extension and a separate renovation of the recreational facilities.

See for yourself

Experience the attractive and functional character of the site yourself on a technical tour with CALL Copenhagen. The secretariat will assist you with the conceptual and practical planning for your visit. If you are interested in visiting Gladsaxe Sport and Leisure Park and other climate adaptation projects in Greater Copenhagen, please contact our international showcasing officer Alexander Hauer.

Photos: NOVAFOS, Carsten Ingemann (Idrætscenter), Bisgaard (Vandledningsstien)