architect: BIG

location: Blåvand, Danimarca

year: 2017

The new TIRPITZ  by BIG is a sanctuary in the sand that acts as a gentle counterbalance to the dramatic war history of the site in Blåvand on the west coast of Denmark. The 2,800 m2 ‘invisible 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 landscape.

image by Frederik Lyng

Upon arrival, visitors will first see the bunker until they approach through the heath-lined pathways and find the walls cut into the dunes from all sides and descend to meet in a central clearing. The courtyard allows access into the four underground gallery spaces that have an abundance of daylight even though they are literally carved into the sand. The exhibitions, designed by Dutch agency  Tinker Imagineers, showcase permanent and temporary themed experiences that ground the tale of an impressive war machine.

image by Colin Seymour

While set by the heavy hermetic object of the WWII bunker, the new TIRPITZ is a sharp contrast to the concrete monolith by camouflaging with the landscape and inviting lightness and openness into the new museum.

partners-in-charge: Bjarke Ingels, Finn Norkjaer
project leader, concept: Brian Yang
project leader, detailed: Frederik Lyng
design project manager: Ole Elkjær-Larsen
team: Jakob Lange, David Zahle, Andreas K. Pedersen, Tore Banke, Snorre Emanuel Nash Jørgensen, Michael Andersen, Hugo Soo, Marcella Martinez, Geoffrey Eberle, Adam Busko, Hanna Johansson, Jakob Andreassen, Charlotte Cocco, Mikkel Marcker Stubgaard, Michael Schønemann Jensen, Alejandro Mata Gonzales, Kyle Thomas David Tousant, Jesper Boye Andersen, Alberte Danvig, Jan Magasanik, Enea Michelesio, Alina Tamosiunaite, Ryohei Koike, Brigitta Gulyás, Katarzyna Krystyna Siedlecka, Andrea Scalco, Tobias Hjortdal, Maria Teresa Fernandez Rojo
progject: Tirpitz
year: 2017
type: commissione
client: Vardemuseerne
collaborators: Akt
Lüchinger+meyer
Tinker Imagineers
Kloosterboer Decor
Big Ideas
Fuldendt
Cowi
Svend Ole Hansen
Gade & Mortensen Akustik
Bach Landskab
Ingeniørgruppen Syd
Kjæhr & Trillingsgaard
Pelcon
size:  2.800 mq
location: Blåvand, Denmark
status: completed