Danish landscape architects SLA have won a design competition to develop a national park near the city of Roskilde into a 1,500 ha cultural landscape called The New Hedeland.

The design concept is centred around the idea of bringing leisure and culture into the outdoors – creating an experience destination that will be a hotbed of voluntary work and human creativity.

Flat fields will be transformed into mountains, new trails will lead visitors through the historic natural landscape and the area’s physical expression and narrative will be “enhanced, dramatised and organised.”

“In Hedeland, the idea of the conventional culture house is moved out in the open,” said SLA in a statement. “Everyone can participate. Hedeland is developed and created by and for the people who come here. It is the place for digging, transformation and action.

“Unique nature and 10,000 years of cultural history complement each other in a coherent concept, creating new space for co-creation, interaction and cognition.”

SLA will now develop the project in collaboration with design studios 2+1 and Realize, architect Johansen Skovsted and biologist Morten DD.

The firm is also working on the New Viking Age Museum and an urban design and climate adaption project for Hans Tavsens Park and Korsgade.