Together with Doug Aitken, NIRAS, Volcano and RWDI, BIG will redesign the three major public plazas surrounding DR Concert Hall, Bella Arena and Royal Arena. The project introduces a new kind of urban space that supports both everyday life and performance. Instead of adding to Ørestad’s existing surfaces, The Impact removes sections of the pavement to uncover and reactivate the ecosystems beneath, opening space for greenery, gathering and movement. 

Throughout the project, existing materials like granite and concrete are reused in new surfaces and urban furniture, contributing to a calculated carbon footprint below 0.1 kg CO₂ per m² per year. Rainwater is managed on site through open channels, topographic basins and permeable layers, while native vegetation strengthens biodiversity and microclimatic comfort.

Rather than designing three individual plazas, The Impact connects them into a seamless landart. At its heart, a sculptural ‘crack’ in the landscape carries water, light and movement across the site. The crack traverses all three plazas, forming a physical and visual thread that unites them into a single story. 

At the DR Concert Hall, the existing water feature is transformed from an urban void into an urban stage with tiered seating and floating islands that encourage rest, play and performance. Stages and seating activate the space, while the pool’s shallow depth allows for playful, accessible interactions in the shade of the surrounding trees and plantings. Existing paving is reused in new patterns to form seating edges and steps, while a path of light and water cuts through the square, shifting in rhythm with time of day and season.  

Bella Arena’s forecourt becomes a sequence of smaller green rooms, shaped by sunken beds, microclimate pockets and seating folded into the landscape. The green crack continues up the building façade, guiding visitors through the site as intuitive wayfinding. A surface of natural stone, flamed concrete and reused elements combines with plantings to provide seasonal variation and urban resilience – wetlands, dense vegetation and blooming species spill into the plazas and paths, while a glowing green line becomes an intuitive thread, guiding, connecting, and enlivening the landscape.

At the Fields Mall, the origin of The Impact is revealed. Two artworks emerge like meteorites crashed into the urban fabric, disrupting and redefining the space. From there, a golden, glowing crack guides visitors towards the Royal Arena, introducing light, reflections and sculptural elements to create an interconnected promenade. 

Approaching Royal Arena, the crack flows across streets and plazas, tearing through the pavement and culminating in a sculptural rupture that reshapes the site into a place for gathering and play.