In the “gray” schoolyard kids can skate, play ball, jump in puddles or sit in the amphitheater and chat with each other.
When it rains, the schoolyard changes character and the rainwater from the roofs runs in the open orange gutters to the the orange basin. The gray asphalt in the yard provides space for a wide range of physical activities.
The schoolyard was established in January 2012.
The aim of the project is to relieve the sewer system by managing the rainwater locally and infiltrate and evaporate some of it. At the same time, the schoolyard has been renovated with rainwater as a central recreational aspect in the design.
When it rains, rainwater from the surrounding roofs runs towards the orange basin. On one part of the schoolyard, water runs over permeable asfalt, which collects the rain water and discharges it into an underground soakaway (dry well). On the other side of the schoolyard, water runs through open gutters into the orange basin. In dry periods, the water can evaporate completely.
Plan A – Water is hold back or/and infiltrated.
Plan B – coupled solutions:
In the event of heavy rainfall, the water can accumulate in the basins, where it will be kept for a short while. The water then discharges into 2 large undergorung soakaways (dry wells), where infiltrates into the soil. In the event of extreme cloudbursts, which fill the soakaway to maximum capacity, an overflow discharges water into the sewer.
The project was a collaboration between HOFOR – Greater Copenhagen Utility, Brøndby Municipality, BIOFOS – Greater Copenhagen Wastewater, Orbicon, Wicotec, and the landscape arcitecture firm Thing og Wainø.
