2020_Magnus Hehlke_Conceptual project “Esbjerg Havn - Reclaiming the urban fabric of Denmark’s Energy Metropolis"_Category_A
Esbjerg Havn - Reclaiming the urban fabric of Denmark’s Energy Metropolis
The Port of Esbjerg on the Danish Westcoast transformed several times over the last decades, from windswept farmland, booming fishing port, center for the Danish oil and gas activities, to finally being the biggest offshore wind energy port in the world.
Huge port areas were created to meet the needs for rapid offshore processes. Today, The landmarks of the port have a striking visual impact on the cityscape. Massive oil rigs, a forest of wind turbine towers ready for shipping and gigantic ship hulls inhabit the skyline of Esbjerg and give the area a unique maritime character.
However, not all areas of the vast port are actively engaged in these primary businesses leaving a high potential for future landscape development. The design proposal utilizes urban transformation to connect the city of Esbjerg with the waterfront of the Dock Port.
The green structure of the Esbjerg City Park is connected through the central area of the Dock Port towards the newly designed waterfront. The new park, will act as the main green element with its own identity, creating a landscape that tells the story of the Wadden Sea. Inspired by the shapes of ripple marks, the dynamic topography and its path system provide a variety of different perspectives and a play of perception with different scales in close proximity to the port basin.
