Ørestad: a new powerhouse in Northern Europe

CONSTRUCTION: Ørestad is a new urban district close to the centre of Copenhagen. It forms the nucleus for the entire Øresund region, which will provide the driving force for the development of a market of 200 million inhabitants. A number of impressive construction projects are under way in Ørestad, accounting for 40% of all building activity in the region

The Øresund region –Greater Copenhagen and the south of Sweden connected by the impressive Øresund Bridge and tunnel – is establishing itself as a Northern European powerhouse. It has universities and educational institutions which are attracting, across professional boundaries and country borders, the most outstanding research worldwide. By virtue of its location, it has become a commercial centre stretching from Germany to Russia. A market with more than 200 million inhabitants with the Øresund region as its natural focal point.

     At the centre of the Øresund region a brand new city is rising up, Ørestad in Copenhagen. It’s a vision which was born 15 years ago, based on an area of wasteland in the immediate vicinity of Copenhagen city centre and the international airport, and which today accounts for more than 40% of all building activity in the entire Copenhagen region. It is a project which can easily be compared with La Defense in Paris and The Docklands in London.

Four quarters
“Only more so”, says Carsten Arlund, project manager at the Ørestad Development Corporation. “In contrast to many other large projects which have emerged round the world, Ørestad is the result of very careful city planning. The objective is to create a mixed city with international and city oriented companies, with all kinds of housing, with culture and future oriented educational institutions. And it is extremely important to us to ensure that it will be a pleasant place for both residents and workers. That there will be life between the buildings, and that traditions arise. Ørestad must be a city for people of all ages.”

     Ørestad is divided into four quarters, each with their own distinctive character. The most northerly of them is almost complete with a concentration of large institutions such as universities, colleges and cultural institutions including Danish Broadcasting City. And Ørestad is well on its way with a unique mixture of high-tech companies, shopping centres, offices and plenty of housing.

The heart of the city
“Ørestad City and the city district as a whole will have a broad spectrum of activities which will make Ørestad a modern counterpart of Copenhagen’s old city centre,” says Arlund. “It is the combination of business and housing which provides the opportunities for making the city district into a really modern and future oriented alternative. Since the world’s most modern driverless Metro runs through Ørestad, it is possible to live and work here, only 10 minutes from Copenhagen’s historic centre in a quarter with lots of dynamism – and at the same time have large natural areas right on the doorstep”.

     Ørestad City is the heart of Ørestad. It will become a geographical and transportation hub of the entire Øresund region with close relations to the Metro, the motorway network which connects the south of Sweden with the rest of Europe via the Øresund Bridge, and the overall railway network. Ørestad City is still under development, but a number of companies have already established their business in the city which rapidly is developing its character. When Ørestad City has been fully expanded in a few years, the city district will have 5,000 residents and be the workplace for more than 30,000 people.

High technology
A large number of companies have already moved to Ørestad. The first was the pharmaceutical company Ferring, which has concentrated a number of its international activities in a 20 storey building close to the Øresund Bridge and Copenhagen Metro. Half of Ferring’s 400 staff are Danes, one third are commuting Swedes and the rest are comprised of 24 other nationalities.

     Telecompany Telia has placed its technology centre in Ørestad, and telecompany 3, IT company Dell and not least Medicon Valley Academy will help attract other high-tech companies in the telecom, IT and life science industries.

Ørestad North is characterised by a concentration of universities and large cultural institutions. One of Ørestad’s most striking buildings is the round Tietgen College. It has 400 homes which all have a view to Ørestad’s channels system – one of the city district’s most distinctive features.

Infrastructure in space
Large sums have been invested in Ørestad’s infrastructure in the form of roads, channels, Metro and supply lines with a view to getting the city district integrated into the rest of the capital’s systems. All public spaces are made in beautiful Chinese granite. One of Ørestad’s distinctive features is that it is built up around environmentally sound solutions. It means for example that public transport is prioritised, that rainwater is exploited, that waste is reused and that the soil balance is maintained. Roads and paths are localised so that access to the Metro stations is as easy and clearly defined as possible. The roads are positioned so that they don’t generate increased traffic in the area as a whole.

International Golf
The visions and ambitions are skyhigh for the course at the Royal Copenhagen Golf Centre, which is under construction on a scenic area west of Ørestad City. The area is hilly and has amazing views over the skyline of old Copenhagen.

     The driving range will open at the beginning of 2006, a 9 hole pay-and-play course in 2007, and the 18 hole international championship course in 2009. The latter has been designed by the world famous golf course architect Ron Kirby, and will contain seven artificial lakes. There will be space for 40,000 spectators.