Abstract

This thesis examines how the Öresund Bridge can be understood and visualised architecturally, not only as technical infrastructure but also as an urban and regional system shaped by ecological, economic and social processes. The study focuses on the relationship between the Öresund Bridge, Pepparholmen and the development of the Öresund Region since the bridge opened in 2000. Particular attention is given to how infrastructure influences mobility, urban development, regional integration and landscape transformation over time.

The work is based on historical analysis, theoretical studies and architectural visualisation through maps, diagrams, sections and spatial analyses in different scales. The theoretical framework is primarily based on Mohsen Mostafavi’s Ecological Urbanism and Gilles Clément’s The Third Landscape, which are used to analyse the relationship between infrastructure, society and ecological development.

The results show that the Öresund Bridge has significantly transformed the relationship between Malmö and Copenhagen by increasing mobility, commuting and regional interaction. At the same time, the study demonstrates that integration is not created solely through physical infrastructure, but is also shaped by economic, political and social factors. The bridge has contributed to economic growth and increased accessibility, while also creating new dependencies on transport systems and continuous flows of people and goods.

A central part of the study focuses on Pepparholmen, the artificial island created during the construction of the Öresund Link. The island has developed from a technical infrastructure component into an area with high ecological value and biodiversity through natural succession. The findings show that human-made landscapes can develop significant ecological qualities when natural processes are allowed to shape the environment over time.

The study concludes that the Øresund Bridge and Pepparholmen should be understood as interconnected parts of the same urban and ecological system. The project illustrates how infrastructure can simultaneously function as transport architecture, regional structure and ecological landscape, while visual methods contribute to a broader understanding of how such environments develop and interact over time.

Keywords: Öresund Bridge, Pepparholmen, infrastructure, ecological urbanism, The Third Landscape, sustainability, regional integration, urban development, biodiversity, architectural visualisation.