News
NIRAS and LYTT Architecture will be in charge of the extensive coastal protection project Koege Dike near the near the capital region of Denmark.
The city and the municipality of Koege is situated on the east coast of the island of Zealand some 15 miles southwest of Copenhagen. Koege Bay has been named an area in risk of floods in accordance with the European Union’s Floods Directive.
Consequently, the municipality has decided to initiate the extensive coastal protection project Koege Dike which will provide protection against floods and storm surges to the urban areas near the sea.
NIRAS and LYTT Architecture have been chosen to carry out the Koege Dike project. The assignment includes analyses and preliminary investigation, project proposals, supply project, EU tenders, contracting and execution.
According to Koege Municpality, the construction costs for the new dike will amount to approximately DKK 100 million (13.4 million EUR), and the project is expected to be terminated by late 2021 or early 2022.
With Koege Dike the project parties will embark on one of Denmark’s largest coastal protection projects. The project sets off now starting with tendering phase and choosing contractor and developers.
NIRAS has outlined the conceptual design for the project based on analyses of historical events, elevation maps, forecasts for future climate changes and mapping of the areas interests and values.
In 2015, NIRAS’s experts developed the initial idea for the project which contained 10 different solutions. This included an early version of the present flood protection project which now will be refined and commence construction.
The project will be led by one of Denmark’ leading capacities regarding coastal protection, Christian Helledie, who is head of NIRAS’ department for coastal protection.
Extreme weather will become more frequent in the future due to climate change. In particular, the so-called perfect storms could have devastating effects for coastal areas such as Koege Municipality.
The intention of the new project is to protect almost the entire 6.8 miles (11 km) of coastline against floods with a large-scale dike.
In 1872 a ‘perfect storm’ hit the Southern parts of Zealand, resulting in 80 dead and massive material damage. If a similar storm were to hit Koege Bay today, the estimated material damage would amount to some DKK 3-5 billions (approximately Euro 400-670 million). This underlines the urgency of carrying out the current project.
Koege Dike is one of the most ambitious coastal protection projects in Denmark in recent years. The purpose of the project is to protect 19,000 citizens, as well as businesses and values worth some DKK 2 billion (Euro 270 million) against floods from the sea.
Koege Dike will have an estimated cost of some DKK 100 million (Euro 13.5 million), which will be financed by a local Dike Guild.
Koege Dike will reach an altitude of 2.8 meters above sea level. At Koege Port, Koege Marina, and other selected areas, a series of protective tidal walls, and mobile solutions will be constructed.
