Above Ørestad-karréen’s 239 homes, on “Lavetten’s” green roof, covers a slope, six different floors. The plants on the roof refer to the Kalvebod Fælled which lies just outside and the slope gives light and views to the homes – and collects water in the yard, which will soon reveal a practical surprise:
The yard is a huge water garden with rainwater beds, where the rainwater ends when it really crashes.
In the rainbeds stands the Sea-buckthorn, which gets juicy orange berries that light up in the silver-colored foliage, along with meadow sage, the meadowsweet and great burnet – all of which are perennials that can cope with large amounts of water on the roots. They must keep the wet bed green and lush.
Raised walkways ensure that everyone can get around in the yard, even if it gets plenty wet. And you almost want it, because in periods of cloudburst and high water level the courtyard will have a completely new character.
In the lowest part of the yard, the walkways are quite light and almost floating with their thin metal grids that leads the light down to the plants below them.
A higher area – above the parking basement – you reach through shores over open waterways that contain the rain when it falls and leads it through the entire courtyard. The voyage ends in a reflective rainwater reservoir that invites birds and frogs to visit.
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