Climate adaptation at P.G. Ramms Allé
The climate adaptation project at P.G. Ramms Allé in Frederiksberg shows how SmartBrønd components together provide advanced solutions for stormwater management.
From bunker to basin
Located on the corner of P.G. Ramms Allé and Julius Valentiners Vej, the project's underground basin sits on a concrete foundation that was originally the floor of two World War II bunkers.
The basin's total volume is now 260 m³.
Installing the water level sensor
SmartBrønd's involvement in P.G. Ramms Allé started with a simple water level sensor in the existing manhole. The sensor told us how much of the basin's volume was actually being used.
It turned out the basin could hold significantly more stormwater than it was receiving — and so additional catchment from the surrounding streets was connected to feed the basin.
Schematic of a manhole with controllable flow regulator
Controllable flow regulator
After connecting more catchment, Frederiksberg Municipality turned to another challenge: the basin couldn't satisfactorily retain or reuse the stormwater it captured.
We added SmartBrønd's controllable flow regulator to the system. It now makes it possible to control and monitor the stormwater in the P.G. Ramms Allé basin.
Full control of the project has turned stormwater into a valuable, controllable resource for irrigation in Frederiksberg Municipality.
Tap-point for irrigation
Since summer 2024, Frederiksberg Municipality has reused the captured stormwater by drawing it from a dedicated tap-point. Water trucks connect to the tap-point and fill up with water that is then used to irrigate planting around the city.
In week 31 of 2024, for example, 20 m³ of water was tapped for irrigation in Frederiksberg.
Across the project's first irrigation season, which began on 6 June 2024 with the installation of the tap-point, the municipality has tapped a total of 115,693 litres of water from the basin. That is the same volume of clean drinking water saved — water the municipality would otherwise have used for irrigation if the captured stormwater had not been available.
A productive pairing
Working together, the tap-point and the controllable flow regulator create ideal conditions for preparing for and reusing large volumes of rainfall.
On 12 June 2024, when a 100-year rainfall event was forecast, the underground basin already held 119 m³ of water. Using the controllable flow regulator, this water was released into the sewer in a controlled way so the basin was empty and ready for large rainfall volumes. The actual event delivered 57 m³ of stormwater, which was subsequently reused for irrigation via the tap-point.
During a cloudburst in August 2024, 120 m³ of stormwater was captured and retained in the project. This eased the load on the sewer system, allowing it to better handle the cloudburst itself.
And finally — automated watering
The final piece of the project was added in 2024, when we integrated an automated watering box in the park at P.G. Ramms Allé. The park's planting is now watered automatically with water from the basin.
A soil-moisture sensor placed in the ground reports moisture levels and tells the watering box to irrigate when the soil is dry.
In week 31 of 2024, 9 m³ of the project's captured stormwater was used to irrigate the park's beds fully automatically.
A complete climate adaptation project
By 2024 the project was fully built out and serves as an important, working part of stormwater management in Frederiksberg.
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