Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

This thesis explores a climate-resilient transformation of Sjöstaden in Trelleborg’s western waterfront, focusing on its shift from a working port to a socially inclusive urban district. The project applies nature-based stormwater management and climate-adaptive landscape design to address future climate risks, including pluvial and coastal flooding, together with changes in groundwater levels. It examines how green–blue infrastructure can deliver technical performance while at the same time reinforcing local identity and supporting public life.
The design is organized into three zones: the coastal edge, the wetlands, and the central parkland. Each of these plays a complementary role in shaping a resilient and multifunctional landscape. The coastal edge provides protection against coastal flooding and opens public access to the waterfront, combining cultural and recreational functions with adaptive structures. The wetlands form a green–blue buffer that manages stormwater through retention and purification processes while also providing habitats for biodiversity. The central parkland works as a social and cultural hub, creating multifunctional public spaces that connect the community and strengthen ecological links across the site.
The methodology combines GIS-based analysis with scenario modeling in SCALGO Live, testing 10-year and 100-year rainfall events along with a one-hour cloudburst. A comparative simulation is used to evaluate a vegetated wetland system against a concrete-lined detention canal, assessing storage capacity, runoff pathways, and reduction of peak flows. A screening Life Cycle Assessment (LCA; EN 17472) supports the selection of permeable paving for the central park, balancing durability, maintenance, and embodied environmental impacts. Stakeholder perspectives and cultural context are incorporated through precedent studies and iterative design testing at several scales.
The outcome is a spatial framework and design that reuses industrial heritage and reorganizes the waterfront into multifunctional public spaces connected by a continuous green–blue network. The strategy improves retention and delay of stormwater, enhances water quality, and strengthens habitat connectivity, while new streetscapes and plazas provide opportunities for year-round use and social interaction. The project illustrates how port-to-city redevelopment can link flood resilience with place-specific identity and offers principles that may be transferable to other Nordic coastal towns facing growing climate uncertainty.