Kirstine Roepfstorff, is an internationally renowned Danish artist who has developed the integrated art piece Hydra for Kanalbyen. Hydra uses water, light and plants to give life to the multi-storey car park that will house the residents’ cars. 

“Art creates value, and what Kanalbyen has done is both brave and forward-thinking,” says Roepfstorff. 

“Car parks are essential, but they’re usually lacking in life and a place people don’t consider as anything more than convenient, but actually they can be spaces where people meet each other and experience something,” she explains. The roof of the parking lot will have rainwater collectors creating an organic system within the concrete building. The huge facades will be covered in concrete murals, making for an interesting focal point in a building that is otherwise mostly ignored. 

Kanalbyen in Fredericia, a beautifully located previously industrial city with views over Lillebælt and with fortifications from the 17th century still surrounding the city. Kanalbyen is, and will be, an integrated, modern, inclusive and sustainable part of Hydra Parking House, Fredericia Harbour, Denmark, where locals and newcomers alike will benefit from how well thought-out the planning process has been. It is bound to be one of the most interesting developments to follow over the coming decades.