Denmark Is Building Nine Gigantic Artificial Islands

New Islands

Authorities in Denmark plan to build nine artificial islands off the coast of Copenhagen with a total area of more than 32 million square feet (3 million square meters.) The hope is that the new islands, which will be called "Holmene," will become a futuristic hub for sustainable business and commerce.

"I think this could become a sort of European Silicon Valley," said Brian Mikkelsen, the head of the Danish chamber of commerce, in an interview with The Guardian.

Plug and Chug

The artificial islands will be built with surplus soil from construction projects in the area — a flabbergasting 900 million cubic feet (26 million cubic meters) of material, according to New Atlas.

The vast undertaking is scheduled to kick off in 2022, with the first island being operational in about six years. On the current schedule, the entire project will be completed around 2040.

Green Space

The project will be built with reefs and islets to support wildlife, along with wind turbines for power generation.

Architectural consultant Arne Cermak Nielsen, who's working on the project with firm Urban Power, told New Atlas that "the islands can be thematically developed, leaving the best conditions for the innovative industry and research within green tech, bio tech, life science and future yet unknown sectors. The quality of being by the water should not be underestimated, and the shores of the islands and the delta that emerge between them has a unique potential."

READ MORE: Denmark embarks on ambitious plan to create new islands off Copenhagen coast [New Atlas]

More on artificial islands: China Just Released a Vessel That Creates Artificial Islands