Magneten Sensory Garden is the winner of The Green Roof Award 2023 in the intensive roof category.

The Jury’s motivation for the award is as follows:

The project is an intensive roof garden partially situated on pillars above a street level parking area. The whole design is a good example of how you can integrate urban green also in areas where the surface constraints are very difficult. Foremost Magneten sensory garden is a great example of a green roof with multiple purposes and a strong focus on wellbeing of the visitors and the personal working at the centre.

The Magneten Sensory garden includes three different themed zones catering to different needs and ways of experiencing the outdoor space. The area includes a vegetable garden, a flower garden and a “bonfire garden”. Water from the greenhouse roof and the institution building’s roof is collected and used to water the garden. A lot of the people that visit the garden have some kind of physical or mental disabilities and with a roof garden the access and use of the garden can be easily controlled and managed. 

Visit www.greenroof.se/award for further info.

Magneten provides treatment for adults with physical and mental impairments. The institution lies near the recreational Grøndal’s Park but going there is difficult for most users – and impossible for some – because of its openness and lack of control for its many activities.

We designed a protected garden on deck that provides a variety of experiences that can be used in treatment and brings happiness and joy to everyday life.

This inclusive design ensures that all visitors can enjoy the therapeutic benefits of greenery in a safe and welcoming environment. Its innovative design and thoughtful integration of vegetation types make it a great recipient of the Green Roof Award, the jury concludes.

The project is conducted with AI Gruppen, while The Municipality of Frederiksberg is the client.

The award is given by the Scandinavian Green Infrastructure Association, and on behalf of the team we thank the jury for the acknowledgement.

Photographs by Kirstine Autzen.