Danish architecture firm Third Nature, together with Sophie Sahlqvist Landskab, Arkaia, ILC, and Artelia, recently shared images of Øhjem, their proposed strategic vision for the re-naturalization of Denmark's Greater Copenhagen region toward 2050. The regenerative plan is part of the Water's Ways program under the Agenda Earth initiative, an interdisciplinary project run by the Danish Association of Architects in collaboration with the Dreyers Foundation and the Danish Bar Association. Led by urbanist Boris Brorman Jensen, the program calls for long-term solutions to restore 15% of Danish agricultural land while also protecting 600,000 homes from water-related threats. Third Nature's Øhjem masterplan reimagines the 25 km Ramsø Dale as a step toward implementing the land management objectives outlined in the Danish Green Tripartite Agreement (Grøn Trepart), signed in June 2024.
According to the architects, the Danish Green Tripartite Agreement marks a landmark shift in national land use policy, emphasizing climate action and biodiversity. With over DKK 30 billion in funding, the agreement aims to restore 140,000 hectares of carbon-rich lowland soils and create 250,000 hectares of new forest, cutting emissions, improving groundwater protection, and enhancing biodiversity. This ambitious transformation is guided by 23 regional committees and supported by complementary measures such as livestock emissions taxation and biochar storage.
Within this context, the Agenda Earth development project combines architectural and legal expertise to generate concrete visual and legislative frameworks for the projected transition. As part of Agenda Earth's Water's Ways program, Third Nature's masterplan aims to build a clear narrative and methodology that inspire substantial land-use change and maximize the impact of government investment. Øhjem is the first attempt to formulate a comprehensive strategy for this shift.
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Rewilding in Architecture: Concepts, Applications, and ExamplesØhjem's Ramsø Dale (Ramsødalen), a 25 km-long regenerative river valley, forms an ecological and hydrological corridor between the Roskilde and Køge 'fingers' of the Copenhagen Finger Plan. By 2045, Greater Copenhagen is projected to grow by 200,000 residents. The project responds to this expanding metropolitan footprint by transforming Ramsø Dale into a driver of climate adaptation, biodiversity restoration, and resilient urban-rural densification.
The plan includes a 150-meter protective buffer to preserve and expand the remaining natural habitats within the low-lying landscape, enabling them to develop into thriving bog meadows. Re-meandering of the Kornerup Å and Langvad Å streams restores natural water flows, fostering microhabitats that support a self-sustaining ecological system, from insects hovering over meadows to large wild grazing animals that aerate and enrich the soil on the sloped terrain. These natural processes help transform the land into a water-absorbing sponge and boost its potential as a carbon sink. To support this transformation, agricultural drainage systems would be shut down, pumps deactivated, and agroforestry and regenerative farming introduced.
The project is also envisioned as a recreational destination. A new train-accessible route would turn Ramsø Dale into a meeting point between historical landmarks and high-tech learning hubs. Visitors could arrive by train from either end, and old farms would be repurposed into businesses, hotels, cafés, and shelters. Along the route, birdwatching towers, educational spaces, land art, and medieval artifacts would be integrated into the revitalized landscape. New housing typologies are also part of the proposal, including Integrated Living Communities that combine self-sustaining agricultural practices, advanced technologies, and inclusive social strategies.
The organic layout of the wetlands highlights the elevated, protected hilltop "islands" within the broader river system. The largest of these "islands," with origins dating back to the Middle Ages, forms the heart of the plan. This water-enclosed village, known in medieval times as Ø-hem (meaning "island home"), reflects the tradition of settling near water, nature, and topography, shaped over centuries by wetlands and streams. Through aquaponics, circular urban design, and collective farming, Third Nature's plan aims to transform Øm into a flagship model of regenerative transition, merging climate adaptation, biodiversity restoration, and green urban development in the fast-growing Copenhagen region.
Restoration, regeneration, and reuse are also becoming themes in other major development projects around the world. Recent announcements include a preservation plan for a historic bridge in Prague; BIG's masterplan to transform Dubai's Jebel Ali Racecourse into a green, walkable district; and Reed Hilderbrand and SO-IL's design for the San Antonio Botanical Garden's new pollinator habitat and greenhouse. Recent news from Denmark include the opening of a new exhibition at the Danish Architecture Center, which explores creative approaches to material reuse, and the debut of the Danish Pavilion at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale with the exhibition Build of Site, curated by Søren Pihlmann.
