Storkeengen Public Nature Park: The climate adaption project in Vorup near Randers resolves the city’s current and future climate challenges by converting the adjacent nature area, Storkeengen (Stork Meadow), into a public nature park. With the integration of climate resilience strategies, the nature park also brings the unique natural delta along the Gudenå (the longest river in Denmark) closer to the centre of Randers, and to its residents.
At Storkeengen, the climate adaption measures not only help to handle the increased stormwater levels, but also adds value to the area. This is achieved by combining visible technical wastewater solutions with locations for recreational activity and nature dissemination, increasing the area’s accessibility and bringing new nature experiences right into the heart of Randers.
With the help of new cloudburst channelling routes in Vorup, water is collected from roofs, car parks and roads, and led on to Storkeengen. Here, the water is collected in purification basins, designed as natural wet meadow areas, before being led out to the Gudenå stream. A new dyke between Storkeengen and the Gudenå ensures good purification of the rainwater and protects the low-lying parts of Vorup from flooding due to storms. The dyke also creates new pathways between the centre of Randers and the nature areas to the west.
Storkeengen is a climate adaption project on Nature’s own terms – also when it comes to the project’s technical wastewater solutions, which are designed to strengthen the nature qualities of the wet meadows. To increase accessibility and enhance the nature experience, new pathways and activity plateaux are created, so that Storkeengen’s unique flora and fauna, and the wet meadows’ changing habitat, can be experienced at close hand. The plateaux also make it possible to get up close to the area’s grazing cattle, enjoy the sunset, or navigate the Gudenå stream by canoe.
’Storkeengen’ (Stork Meadow) is a new landscape project that, like an architectural multi-tool, creates cloudburst and storm flood protection, strengthens urban nature and brings the town of Randers even closer to the Gudenå River. In cooperation with Orbicon, C.F. Møller Landscape has developed the project for Randers Municipality and Vandmiljø Randers.
The project’s technical climate protection solutions are based on strengthening the nature value and functionality of the wetland meadow. Using new cloudburst routes through Vorup, rainwater is led from roofs, car parks and roads in Vorup to Storkeengen, where the water is filtered in purification basins designed as natural wetland meadow areas, before being led on into the Gudenå River.
A new dyke between Storkeengen and the Gudenå will ensure good purification of the rainwater and also protect the low-lying parts of Vorup from flooding due to storms. The dyke will also create new pathways between the centre of Randers and the nature areas to the west.
Nature conservation is helping to enhance the nature experience and to put focus on how urban nature and urban life can be combined. This holistic approach creates a landscape solution that ensures both climate protection and urban and nature development.
Storkeengen is a result of dedicated cooperation between Randers Vandmiljø, Randers Municipality and the advisers C.F. Møller Landscape and Orbicon. Moreover, local citizens, stakeholders and future users have also helped to shape the project through various forms of involvement. This has ensured diversity for users’ opportunities and understanding of the Gudenå’s unique nature resources.
With innovative climate solutions and a strong vision, ’Storkeengen’ is thereby helping to strengthen Randers as an attractive riverside town by combining climate protection, nature value and urban development. In future, people will be able to experience Storkeengen’s unique nature types, fauna and changing appearance, enjoy sunsets at the waterside, or go canoeing on the Gudenå River.
Pioneering project: With ’Storkeengen’, Vandmiljø Randers and Randers Municipality are demonstrating how climate adjustment combined with water purification and information about nature can help to create an attractive nature park for the people of Randers. In the initial phase, in close collaboration with Orbicon, C.F. Møller Landscape undertook the development of wetland meadow areas, cloudburst routes, recreational facilities, information about nature, and the involvement and communication process. Now a contract has just been established with Orbicon and C.F. Møller Landscape to supplement these services with project design, tendering and supervision of the project.
City to the Water: Like many other towns in Denmark, and the rest of the world, Randers is threatened by the effects of climate change. In Randers, the challenge lies in the town’s low-lying position in relation to the Gudenå River and the fjord, which requires climate adjustment measures that can protect the town from the effects of future climate change. This is the basis for the town’s overall vision of ‘the City to the Water’, with ’Storkeengen’ in Vorup as the first project to be achieved. For many years, this area of the town has been challenged by flooding due to extreme amounts of rain and rising water levels in the Gudenå River.
“We’re looking forward to achieving ‘Storkeengen’ in cooperation with Randers Municipality, Randers Vandmiljø and Orbicon. The project is a perfect example of C.F. Møller Landscape’s holistic approach, whereby we combine climate protection with urban and nature development,” says Lasse Vilstrup Palm, associate partner and head of C.F. Møller Landscape.
Project Name: Storkeengen (Stork Meadow)
Project Location: Storkeengen, Randers, Denmark
Project type: Landscape, Public Nature Park
Client: Randers Kommune og Vandmiljø Randers
Architect: C.F. Møller Architects
Landscape architect: C.F. Møller Landscape
Engineer: Orbicon
Size: 83 ha
Year: 2017
