The Fælledby community – a sustainable development where humans and animals coexist

Designed by Henning Larsen

From the architects:

Just beyond the Copenhagen city centre, Henning Larsen’s proposal for Fælledby transforms the former dumping ground site into a model for sustainable living, balancing human priorities with a strong commitment to the natural surroundings.

Designed to accommodate 7000 residents, the Fælledby community will be entirely constructed from timber, with individual buildings featuring birdhouses and animal habitats integrated within the building facades.

Fælledby explores a living model with nature at its core, simultaneously crafting a new neighborhood to accommodate the demands of the growing city and increasing local biodiversity. 

“With the rural village as an archetype, we’re creating a city where biodiversity and active recreation define a sustainable pact between people and nature.”

The neighbourhood merges traditional Danish urban and rural typologies to create a hybrid that balances the city and its natural surroundings. Fælledby will develop in phases, growing outward from three distinct 'cores' that together frame the neighbourhood at large. This diffuse approach will maximise access to nature for residents and will allow the landscape to be organically integrated in the site. 

Developed in collaboration with biologists and environmental engineers from MOE, the scheme preserves 40 per cent of the 18.1ha project site undeveloped habitat for local flora and fauna. Green corridors draw the surrounding landscape into the masterplan, dividing Fælledby into three smaller enclaves. These corridors allow residents increased and direct access to nature, but more importantly, allow the animal species to move freely through and within the area.

Nature is wholly integrated within Fælledby’s landscaping and architecture: nests for songbirds and bats are built into the walls of houses, new ponds in the centre of each of Fælledby’s three communities offer a habitat for frogs and salamanders, and community gardens create new flowers to attract butterflies, to name a few. Narrowed roads and underground parking within the plan reduce vehicle traffic and visibility, making nature the focal point.

Localising sustainability

In concert with Fælledby’s environmental ambitions, Henning Larsen’s timber-construction proposal aims to reduce the carbon impact of the development.

Compared to alternative materials such as steel or concrete, timber captures and stores CO2 during its growth – as a building material, it actively removes CO2 from the environment as it is produced. Fælledby is the latest in a resurgence of timber construction throughout Scandinavia, as the region sets a global example for sustainable contemporary architecture.

Fælledby is a product of Henning Larsen’s own sustainable ambitions, as well as a reflection of local needs: an in-depth local hearing preceded the architectural competition, in which Copenhagen residents offered feedback to each project submitted for consideration.

A beautiful place out in the country

In Denmark, building in harmony with the landscape is nothing new. For 1500 years, the agrarian Danes have established villages and homesteads throughout the countryside, always built with a keen awareness of the effects on the surrounding farmlands, pastures and animal habitats.

The Fælledby masterplan translates these fundamental qualities – a close-knit community, and an intimate connection to nature – into a new, sustainable district. Fælledby takes shape as three radial neighbourhoods, each one encouraging a more intimate, small-scale sense of community to flourish. 

Native-planted green swathes run between these three mini-villages, ensuring free movement for local wildlife and weaving the natural landscape into the core layout of the larger Fælledby community. From any given residence, nature – untamed and indigenous – is less than a two-minute walk away.

Story by: Trendsideas