Could floating islands take over Copenhagen harbour?
Credit: Shutterstock, Vittorio Negroni
As cities around the world search for innovative ways to tackle biodiversity loss and climate change, a creative and inspiring solution has been suggested: floating islands.
According to the architects’ vision, floating islands planted with wildflowers, grass and trees would be installed in Copenhagen’s harbour, transforming underused urban waters into thriving wildlife habitats. A small but impactful creation that aims to restore nature and wildlife in the big city.
Floating wildlife islands revitalise Copenhagen’s harbour
These floating harbours will host plants, grass and wildflowers and are designed to serve as small natural habitats. They will attract pollinators like bees and butterflies, providing protected nesting areas for birds. Each island will essentially function as a wildlife sanctuary.
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While the islands and the creatures that inhabit them are small, the projects impact will be mighty. Made from materials recycled from old boats, the ecosystems the islands help foster will greatly help support biodiversity in area’s lacking natural spaces. The platforms themselves are often hand-crafted using traditional Danish boatbuilding techniques and recycled floating elements, highlighting the project’s commitment to sustainability.
Creating new habitats above and below the water
The underwater ecosystem will also benefit, as the underneath of the platforms act as artificial reefs, forming a new aquatic habitat. Algae, shellfish and other marine organisms can attach to the submerged structures, which in turn attract fish and other sea life. Over time, these floating gardens help create entirely new ecosystems both above and below the water’s surface.
This layered habitat design makes the islands particularly valuable in dense urban environments where natural wetlands and coastal habitats have largely disappeared.
A “Parkipelago” of floating urban green spaces
One simple edition to the harbour, a space that serves an aesthetic purpose but not so much a practical one, will be transformative.
The project’s architects, Marshal Blecher and Magnus Maarbjerg envision a series of interconnected floating islands – what they call a “parkipelago” – serving both agricultural and social needs. The floating platforms would be open to the public, accessible by kayak, as urban gardens on water, fit for leisure and environmental conservation.
Beyond recreation, the islands represent a bold reimagining of urban space. By turning overlooked waterways into thriving ecological zones, this project demonstrates how cities can integrate small acts of conservation into big cities.