Odense Port has appointed Gottlieb Paludan Architects and WSP as winners of the project competition for a masterplan for Odense Dry Port - a 110-hectare logistics hub in Årslev that will support the supply chains for the offshore industry at Odense Port. When fully developed, Odense Dry Port will be Denmark's largest logistics hub.

To ensure stable supply chains for the companies at Odense Port, many of which produce vital parts for the green transition, the logistics hub Odense Dry Port is being established to create simple and flexible connections between the companies' storage and production facilities.  

Gottlieb Paludan Architects has, in collaboration with engineers from WSP, developed a masterplan with efficient and logical traffic flow that both accommodates lorry traffic and ensures road conditions for pedestrians and cyclists. A ring road for heavy traffic on the periphery and a north-south going canal street for pedestrians and cyclists ensure a clear separation between logistics traffic and vulnerable road users, increasing both safety and efficiency.

The masterplan also focuses on landscape adaptation, planting and drainage - and the distribution of water on the site will be a key architectural element. The project will collect rainwater and slow it down on site, releasing it into the drainage system at a controlled rate. The main structure of the water management is 3 north-south going water veins that collect rainwater from the roofs of the buildings and, in general, surface water will be visibly led from the paved areas to rainwater basins, which both supports biodiversity in the area and enhances flora and fauna. These initiatives are complemented by a number of recreational green areas for the use of both employees and visitors.

The building facades are designed with modular and flexible structures, allowing for easy adaptation and expansion. The building volumes can be scaled down towards the canal street and adjacent built-up areas to the east and south, and scaled up in height towards the motorway to the west. The design reflects a kinship with Odense Port and includes the use of skylights, solar cells and design for disassembly.

"The establishment of Odense Dry Port gives us a unique opportunity to design the area from scratch, and with a master plan we ensure optimal utilisation of the many square metres in Denmark's largest logistics hub. Odense Dry Port reduces dependence on uncertain international supply chains, and as Denmark's largest offshore wind production port, we have a special obligation to ensure that our customers in the green transition have short, simple and flexible access between their storage facilities at our Dry Port in Årslev and production facilities at the Odense Port in Munkebo", says Carsten Aa, CEO of Odense Port A/S.