Natural History Museum of Denmark
Type
Museum
Research facilities
Landscape
Adress
Sølvgade 83, Copenhagen, Denmark
Area
Total 30.000 m²
New built 15.000 m²
Renovation/transformation 15.000 m²
Client
Vejdirektoratet
Tenant
University of Copenhagen
User
Natural History Museum of Denmark
Collaboration
Claus Pryds Arkitekter ApS
Engineer
EKJ Rådgivende Ingeniører
Landscape
Professor & landscape architect Steen Høyer
Julie Kierkegaard A/S
Year
Built 2019-2024
1. prize international competition 2012
Photo
Torben Eskerod
Vejdirektoratet
The new Natural History Museum is one of the largest museum projects in Denmark in recent times. It brings together the Geological, Zoological and Botanical Museums into one world-class museum. It will soon provide an exciting venue for a better public understanding of science while giving the scientists at the University of Copenhagen improved work and research facilities, and the city an extensive new public space.
The new museum houses more than 14 million exhibits collected over a 400-year period. It is located in the listed Botanical Gardens that constitutes a central element in the new museum with its collection of approx. 10,000 living plant species.
The Natural History Museum of Denmark is built up of a number of components. Half of the area – the listed Sølvtorv Complex from 1829, has been renovated and refurbished to house teaching, research and administration facilities for the University of Copenhagen. The other half is a new construction with underground exhibition halls and storage facilities. The roof of the underground halls frames a new public space that echoes the sculpted rolling landscape of the neighboring Botanical Gardens.
A coherent universe
Our initial analysis quickly reinforced the importance of the listed Botanic Garden and the historic buildings, and the respect they demanded. Therefore, most of the new public exhibition spaces are located underground, on multiple subterranean levels. They define the complex, and bind it together, yet at no point detract from the grandeur of the historic Botanical Gardens.
The scientific study of geology and the earth’s amorphic strata are reflected in the underground building’s flowing forms. As visitors descend into the exhibition area, nooks and openings aim to awaken their curiosity, drawing them further into the museum.
Above ground, transparent connecting buildings create a transition between the historical buildings of the complex, and new underground halls. These elements bind the disparate elements of the complex into a cohesive whole, whether viewed from the street, or from the Botanical Gardens.
The Ocean Hall lies in the inner courtyard of the Sølvtorvs Complex. It is an elongated glass clad dome for the exhibition of large objects. With its expressive form, and visibility from both near and far, the Ocean Hall looks to become the museum’s landmark.
Renovation with humility and honesty
The buildings in the Sølvtorvs Complex have been refurbished and redecorated with a view to preserve cultural heritage as much as possible. As many original floors, walls, doors, finishes and details as possible have been retained, and important rooms have been restored to their original state, while other spaces have been transformed, with completely new functions. The museum café is located in the old Boiler Room, while the Machine Hall has been transformed into a museum shop.
The guiding principle of ‘Honesty in Renovation’ makes itself felt throughout the existing buildings. In laboratories it was necessary to introduce modern equipment and technology, but cable routing for these have been placed as visible, modern installations in the historic rooms. In this way, the different layers of construction details have been allowed to remain visible and tell their own story about the building's history.
This also has the advantage of preserving the rooms’ original proportions, which can still be seen behind the technical installations, which can also be maintained and replaced with minimal impact and waste.
Site plan
Longitudinal section
Cross section
The Ocean Hall is located in the inner courtyard of the Sølvtorv Complex.
From below, the skylights provide controlled daylight in the corridors and circulation areas.
The landscape is dotted with skylights that visitors and passers-by can look down into. From above, one gets the sense that something strange and exciting is at work underground. From below, the lanterns provide controlled daylight in the corridors and circulation areas.
Archaeological color studies have revealed the buildings' original decorative layers, color schemes and paint types. As far as possible, the color scheme has been traced back to the 1st paint layer. Patterns on larger wall surfaces have however been avoided.
The auditorium in the Sølvtorv complex from 1829 has been renovated. It can be used as a lecture hall or for larger events by both the Natural History Museum and the University of Copenhagen.
The original Boiler building has been transformed into the museum café.
The original lobby of the Sølvtorv complex has been renovated and connected directly to the new extension. The extension houses the ticket desk and the entrance to the underground museum halls.
The underground museum halls are accessed from the foyer.
Underground, a subterranean universe unfolds where the full architectural repertoire is activated, setting the stage for engaging spatial and sensory experiences related to natural science.
The ceiling is semi-open. It consists of suspended rectangular elements in gray-stained, fire-impregnated pine. The ceiling can be adapted to both horizontal and double-curved surfaces. The wooden blocks are suspended from small, articulated metal rods that ensure that the blocks always hang vertically and perpendicular to each other.
The building’s softly flowing lines take inspiration from the amorphic strata of the underground. The goal is to awaken the curiosity of the museum visitors.
The amount of daylight and the geometry of the rooms are included in the wayfinding. Circulation areas have curved walls and daylight seeps down from above. In contrast, exhibition spaces are darkened to protect light-sensitive objects. The exhibition rooms have straight walls to one side.
The handrails on the stairs add both variety, and an element of poetry to the rooms. They are also important in terms of safety and accessibility.
We have worked with ‘Curiosity as a concept’. The openings in the walls 'draw' the audience in. You want to see what's around the next corner…
