EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - The Pyramid: Ecological Urban Renewal in Kolding, Denmark

The Pyramid: Ecological Urban Renewal in Kolding, Denmark

Introduction

The 1990s were a flourishing period for urban ecology in Denmark. Thanks to public awareness and substantial state subsidies, primarily from the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs and the Ministry of Environment & Energy, the pioneering work of the grassroots was adopted by 'the establishment'. Municipalities, housing associations, consultants and private individuals sought new ways of fulfilling their housing needs in accordance with the idea of sustainability. During this time, new standards for building and living in the cities were introduced. Large-scale demonstration projects were developed and contributed strongly to the further development of new standards. The Pyramid in the town of Kolding ranks among the most important demonstration projects.

Problem

How can the consumption and treatment of water in cities be changed to make it more sustainable and environmentally friendly?

Description

The Pyramid project was born in 1993 as the result of a cooperation among three parties:

The municipality of Kolding
The ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
The consulting company Byfornyelse Denmark

The basic idea of the project was to establish a showroom for a wide range of possible ways of showing consideration for the environment and limiting the use of non-renewable resources in cities.
The project concerned:

the reduced consumption of energy and water;
the reduction of waste;
the use of environmentally friendly materials in constructions.

The Pyramid project focused on the use of water. The circulation of water is one of the basic cycles in the ecological system. Although water resources still seem ample, particular attention has been drawn to the consumption and treatment of this resource. Emphasis has been placed on:

raising awareness of the issue;
saving groundwater by reducing the consumption;
substituting drinking water with water of lower quality where appropriate;
infiltrating water to the groundwater instead of draining it off. All of these elements were included in the Pyramid project.

The Pyramid itself is a construction that contains basins for wastewater treatment on the ground floor. On the upper three floors are plant beds for pot plants. It is a combined greenhouse and wastewater treatment plant.

Results

The purpose of the Pyramid project was:

to rinse domestic wastewater near the source in order to avoid blending with more problematic industrial wastewater that requires more sophisticated treatment;
to reclaim nutrients for the fertilisation of plants and the production of fish;
to restore the water balance in the city where most of the rainwater is led to the sewage systems instead of the groundwater;
to expose the wastewater problems and thereby raise awareness among residents

The Pyramid project has however not set new standards for wastewater treatment in Denmark. The idea has proven useful and workable, but further development, experiments and adaptation of the technology to local conditions is needed. Development of the Pyramid concept would also require increased political interest.

Contact info

Byfornyelse Denmark
Jens Holck-Christiansen (regional manager)

Project start date

//1993

Click here to download a detailed paper on the Pyramid Project

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy > Urban environment

Keywords

Environmental sustainability