Japanese architect Kengo Kuma designed the recently-opened H.C. Andersen House / photo: Kengo Kuma/Michael McGurk 2018
The H.C. Andersen House, designed by architect Kengo Kuma, has opened to visitors in the Danish city of Odense.
Dedicated to the life of the celebrated author Hans Christian Andersen – famous for his fairytales, such as The Little Mermaid, The Emperor’s New Clothes and The Ugly Duckling – the US$62m visitor attraction ranges across indoor and outdoor spaces, both above and below ground.
The attraction is located on the site of Andersen’s childhood home, which first opened as a museum in 1908. As part of a nationwide initiative to expand the country’s cultural tourism offer, the City embarked on a project to transform the museum into a flagship tourist destination.
The attraction breaks new ground with its combination of location and the interpretation of the collection, with an immersive theatre bringing visitors to a new appreciation of Andersen’s creative output and celebrating his imagination.
Kuma says the building is the architectural interpretation of much-loved tale, The Tinderbox, in which a tree unveils an underground world which magically reveals new perspectives to the beholder.
“The idea behind the architectural design resembled Andersen’s method, where a small world suddenly expands to reveal a bigger universe,” Kuma told Dezeen.
H.C. Andersen House has a floor space of 5,600sq m – two-thirds of which is underground, creating a “magical garden space” in the centre of Odense. Inside, visitors navigate a series of immersive chambers, trails and interactive exhibits that bring the master storyteller’s tales to life. The exhibition spaces have been designed in a partnership between Event Communications and 12 selected artists from around the world.
The common denominator for the contributors – who include Brazilian artist Henrique Oliveira, British puppet-maker Andy Gent and Danish scriptwriter Kim Fupz Aakeson – is that their work is inspired by the art of Hans Christian Andersen.
Creative director, Henrik Lübker, said: “We’ve identified artists who correspond with Andersen’s universe and its core values.
“In that sense, the ambition has been to create art which exists on its own terms, while also fitting into the overall project – Creating Hans Christian Andersen’s House in a way that melds together landscape, architecture, exhibitions, design and art to form a coherent experience.
“Visitors go on a journey and enter into a world in which humour and play are at least as important as answers and truth. They experience a world in which you step into surreal game shows or get thrown around by the elements as if you were a tin soldier. A world where you are at the bottom of the ocean looking up, looking out, at a different world as if you were a Little Mermaid.
“The audience can expect a world that has been created for all ages and eras. For families and for the individual.”
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Japanese architect Kengo Kuma designed the recently-opened H.C. Andersen House / photo: Kengo Kuma/Michael McGurk 2018
The H.C. Andersen House, designed by architect Kengo Kuma, has opened to visitors in the Danish city of Odense.
Dedicated to the life of the celebrated author Hans Christian Andersen – famous for his fairytales, such as The Little Mermaid, The Emperor’s New Clothes and The Ugly Duckling – the US$62m visitor attraction ranges across indoor and outdoor spaces, both above and below ground.
The attraction is located on the site of Andersen’s childhood home, which first opened as a museum in 1908. As part of a nationwide initiative to expand the country’s cultural tourism offer, the City embarked on a project to transform the museum into a flagship tourist destination.
The attraction breaks new ground with its combination of location and the interpretation of the collection, with an immersive theatre bringing visitors to a new appreciation of Andersen’s creative output and celebrating his imagination.
Kuma says the building is the architectural interpretation of much-loved tale, The Tinderbox, in which a tree unveils an underground world which magically reveals new perspectives to the beholder.
“The idea behind the architectural design resembled Andersen’s method, where a small world suddenly expands to reveal a bigger universe,” Kuma told Dezeen.
H.C. Andersen House has a floor space of 5,600sq m – two-thirds of which is underground, creating a “magical garden space” in the centre of Odense. Inside, visitors navigate a series of immersive chambers, trails and interactive exhibits that bring the master storyteller’s tales to life. The exhibition spaces have been designed in a partnership between Event Communications and 12 selected artists from around the world.
The common denominator for the contributors – who include Brazilian artist Henrique Oliveira, British puppet-maker Andy Gent and Danish scriptwriter Kim Fupz Aakeson – is that their work is inspired by the art of Hans Christian Andersen.
Creative director, Henrik Lübker, said: “We’ve identified artists who correspond with Andersen’s universe and its core values.
“In that sense, the ambition has been to create art which exists on its own terms, while also fitting into the overall project – Creating Hans Christian Andersen’s House in a way that melds together landscape, architecture, exhibitions, design and art to form a coherent experience.
“Visitors go on a journey and enter into a world in which humour and play are at least as important as answers and truth. They experience a world in which you step into surreal game shows or get thrown around by the elements as if you were a tin soldier. A world where you are at the bottom of the ocean looking up, looking out, at a different world as if you were a Little Mermaid.
“The audience can expect a world that has been created for all ages and eras. For families and for the individual.”
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Sustainability: A brighter future
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Museums: Play on
Using emotion, technology and special effects, Ravinia Music Box is bringing the music of Leonard Bernstein to new audiences
Tourism: Local heroes and global nomads
From globally-renowned art galleries to community-run attractions, a new breed of visionaries are reimagining tourism in this rural idyll
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As the world’s largest museum of astronomy opens in Shanghai, we speak to the architect who helped make the vision a reality
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It was delayed by a year due to COVID-19, but the Expo has now opened with more than 200 exhibitors and a masterplan designed by HOK, Arup and Populous
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The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana
Heritage
Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive
storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
San Antonio Zoo has reported a US$283 million economic impact for 2025, following a decade-
long transformation programme that has seen almost US$200 million invested into the Texas
attraction.
Plans for the AU$180 million redevelopment of Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, are
progressing, with the project set to transform the attraction into a global centre for reef
education and conservation.
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise
business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play
in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
The Toverland theme park in the Netherlands has announced a €98m expansion programme
that will add a resort, new attractions and staff facilities as it pursues plans to become a multi-
day destination.
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
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