Sønæs

 Sønæs is a 10-hectare recreational park at Søndersø close to Viborg’s town centre. Before the transformation of sØnæs the area was laid out as football fields, but due to the wetlands the area was often unfit for the purpose. An increasing need for climate proofing as well as a request for an accessible recreational area from the citizens of Viborg gave rise to the establishment of sØnæs climate and activity park. The need for protection against extreme rain has thus resulted in an eventful hilly blue-green landscape, which invites play and movement. A concrete path crosses across a pond that cleans the water and connects a wide range of play and recreational facilities that appeal to a broad target group. 

In addition to this, the project also meets the demand of the wastewater plan to reduce the emission of phosphor to Søndersø, seeing that sØnæs is designed as a treatment pond where rainwater retained, before it is pumped out in the lake. The natural hilly landscape forms a variable volume, which makes it possible to store large amounts of rainwater and thus protect the surrounding area from flooding. In one go, the project thus combines three central agendas in one, which is currently a hot topic in the debate on future climate protection of urban areas – namely environmental conditions, climate protection and recreational urban spaces.   

The project is selected as an example project supported by VANDPLUS consisting of Realdania, The Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities and The Danish Nature Agency. The project has won the Sustainable Concrete Award 2017, KTC’s Innovation Award as well as Danva’s and Realdania’s Climate Award. In addition, sØnæs was among the projects selected for the international architecture biennale in Venice 2016. The dissemination of contemporary climatic challenges and the interaction with the place is supported by various initiatives such as a touch-screen at the place and an application. Both aim to inform about the area, the technique and the activities and also feature a digital guestbook that shows the experiences of the users via Instagram.