Architecture practice Cebra have unveiled concepts for a new cultural attraction focusing on the historic connection between Denmark, Greenland and the Arctic.
The iceberg-esque form, located in the harbour of Danish town Hundested, covers 3,000sq m (32,300sq ft) and will aim to communicate the relationship between the three locations in historic, contemporary and future contexts. Knud Rasmussen – Denmark’s famed polar explorer and researcher – is the inspiration for the project, with much of its inspiration dictated by his life and works.
According to Cebra, the building’s architecture is “inspired by the Arctic forces of nature” and the buildings’ rounded form is designed to withstand this harsh climate. Made up of three conjoined domes, the building is located on the existing pier, with the white domes, soft forms of the landscape and curved lines around the building establishing “clear associations to a landscape of Arctic snow and ice”.
“The idea is to create a place that currently does not exist in Denmark. A place where Greenland, the Arctic and Denmark are physically linked together, and which can provide visitors with experiences that promote a better understanding of the connections between these places,” said Søren La Cour Jensen, senior curator of Knud Rasmussen’s house in Hundested.
“We can explore Greenland and the Arctic and where Knud Rasmussen’s travel descriptions and stories can be expanded to include the history of the whole of the Arctic region – today and in the future.”
The proposal has been valued at DKK150m (US$22.4m, €20.2m, £18.2m), with the city council in Halsnæs Municipality now considering the development, which was first conceptualised on 2011 when a fire razed parts of the original Knud Rasmussen House to the ground.
