STATUS
COMPLETED
CLIENT
Vardemuseerne
TYPOLOGY
Culture
SIZE M2/FT2
2,850 / 30,677
SHARE
Tirpitz museum transforms and expands a historic German WWII bunker into a groundbreaking cultural complex comprising four exhibitions within a single structure, seamlessly embedded into the protected shorelands of Blåvand in western Denmark.
As an antithesis to the heavy volume of the WWII bunker, the 2,800 m2 museum appears subtly as the intersection between a series of precise cuts into the landscape. Contrary to the hefty and intrusive regelbau construction of the historic fortress, the new Tirpitz finely cuts into the dune and camouflages with the landscape.
Coined ‘the invisible museum’, Tirpitz has attracted a record number of visitors since it’s opening and has acted as an important catalyst for the area, which has since seen an opening of the BIG-designed Marsk Tower and FLUGT museum.
Upon arrival, the visitors first see the bunker and as they approach, start seeing the fine cuts and paths leading towards the center of the museum complex.
A central courtyard allows access into the four underground gallery spaces that have an abundance of daylight even though they are literally carved into the sand.
Sunken Void
— Two paths intersect at the museum like surgical slices into the dunes. A sunken void is surrounded by the four galleries of the respective museums, bringing daylight and views to the buried spaces.
Preservation Loophole
— The landscape is a nature preserve prohibiting construction, however one of the dunes is a remnant of a man-made berm. A loophole of opportunity in the paragraphs of preservation.
Four Museums
— Next to the bunker, BIG was asked to design four museums in a single structure: a bunker, local history, amber and an art museum.
Paths
— As the dune rises, the paths plow straight into the hill to allow access by foot.
The building consists of four main materials and elements which are also found in the existing structures and natural landscape of the area – concrete, steel, glass, and wood. The walls of the exhibition rooms are made of concrete cast onsite, supporting the landscape and carrying the fascinating roof decks that cantilever out 36 m. The largest roof deck weighs approximately 1,090 ton – a complex roof structure that is engineered by Swiss Lüchinger+Meyer. The main interior materials utilized throughout the gallery spaces are wood and hot rolled steel, which is applied to all the interior walls.
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The exhibitions, designed by Dutch agency Tinker Imagineers, showcase permanent and temporary themed experiences. Every gallery has its own rhythm, beating in sync with its storyline: high and low, night and day, good and bad, hot and cold, the passing of time.
Army of Concrete tells the human stories in the shadow of Hitler’s enormous defense project, the Atlantic Wall; Gold of the West Coast is Western Europe’s most comprehensive exhibition of amber, presented in an enchanting amber forest; and West Coast Stories tells 100,000 years of west coast history and is turned into a nighttime 4D theatre twice an hour.
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From the sunken galleries, visitors are able to walk into the historic bunker, which grounds the tale of an impressive war machine. In the dark, visitors can play with light and activate shadow plays that reveal how the bunker should have functioned.
"The new Tirpitz is planned, built, and furnished as a portal to the Danish West Coast’s treasure trove of hidden stories. It has been our goal to create a humble, world-class attraction surprising its visitors with new perspectives on the majestic landscape. Our guests deserve the best; with BIG’s limitless and inviting architecture and with Tinker Imagineers’ wondrous and playful exhibitions, I feel we have achieved this. TIRPITZ is an incredible, one-of-a-kind experience - violent, astonishing, dramatic, hidden - almost invisible.”
6 m tall glass panels face the outdoor courtyard, allowing natural daylight into the four exhibition spaces.
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"The architecture of Tirpitz is the antithesis to the WWII bunker. The heavy hermetic object is countered by the inviting lightness and openness of the new museum. The galleries are integrated into the dunes like an open oasis in the sand - a sharp contrast to the Nazi fortress’ concrete monolith. The surrounding heath-lined pathways cut into the dunes from all sides descending to meet in a central clearing, bringing daylight and air into the heart of the complex. The bunker remains the only landmark of a not so distant dark heritage that, upon close inspection, marks the entrance to a new cultural meeting place."
Tirpitz contributes further to BIG’s experience in museum design, particularly in integrating landscape with cultural programs, while preserving the historic value and natural environment.
Bjarke Ingels Finn Nørkjær David Zahle Jakob Lange Brian Yang Andreas Klok Pedersen Ole Elkjær-Larsen Jesper Boye Andersen Adam Busko Enea Michelesio Frederik Lyng Geoffrey Eberle Hanna Ida Johansson Hugo Yun Tong Soo Jakob Andreassen Jan Magasanik Kristoffer Negendahl Marcella Martinez Mikkel Marcker Stubgaard Ryohei Koike Snorre Nash Tobias Hjortdal Tore Banke Yehezkiel Wiliardy Manik Alberte Danvig Alejandro Mata Gonzales Alina Tamosiunaite Brigitta Gulyás Charlotte Coco Katarzyna Krystyna Siedlecka Kyle Thomas David Tousant Maria Teresa Fernandez Rojo Michael Andersen Michael Schønemann Jensen Andrea Scalco
AWARDS
LCD Berlin Leading Culture Destinations of the Year Award, 2020
EU Mies van der Rohe Award, Nominee, 2019
AIA Institute Honor Awards for Architecture, 2019
Architizer A+ Awards Honoring the Best, Architecture, Spaces & Products, 2018
The Mermaid Prize, 2018
AIANY Design Awards, Honors Award for Architecture, 2018
World Architecture Festival, Best Culture Category Finalist, 2018
COLLABORATORS
AKT
Lüchinger+Meyer
Tinker Imagineers
Fuldendt
Kloosterboer Décor
Svend Ole Hansen
Gade & Mortensen Akustik
Bach Landskab
Ingeniørgruppen syd
COWI
Kjæhr & Trillingsgaard
Pelcon
BIG Ideas
