The new H.C. Andersen museum designed by Kengo Kuma opens on June 30th
20/06/2021.
[Odense] Denmark. 30.06.2021
metalocus, ANTONIO PLATO
metalocus, ANTONIO PLATO
The latest museum designed by Kengo Kuma will open on 30 June. The new building, garden, and Tinderbox cultural center for the H.C. Andersen's Hus museum in the heart of Odense, Andersen's birthplace.
This project is one of the largest and most ambitious museum projects of recent times and has been made possible thanks to substantial support from several foundations. However, due to the monumentality of the project, the opening will not present the full museum experience, but rather a kind of preview of the complete museum.
This project is one of the largest and most ambitious museum projects of recent times and has been made possible thanks to substantial support from several foundations. However, due to the monumentality of the project, the opening will not present the full museum experience, but rather a kind of preview of the complete museum.
Rendering. H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma.
Rendering. H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma.
Rendering. H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma.
Rendering. H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma.
Rendering. H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma.
Rendering. H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma.
Rendering. H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma.
Rendering. H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma.
Rendering. H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma.
Diagram by Cornelius Vöge and MASU. H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma.
H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma. Photograph by H.C. Andersen’s Hus
H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma. Photograph by H.C. Andersen’s Hus
H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma. Photograph by H.C. Andersen’s Hus
Site plan by Cornelius Vöge and MASU. H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma.
Ground floor plan by Cornelius Vöge and MASU. H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma.
Basement floor plan by Cornelius Vöge and MASU. H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma.
Longitudinal section, Cornelius Vöge and MASU. H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma.
Section, Cornelius Vöge and MASU. H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma.
Section, Cornelius Vöge and MASU. H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma.
Elevation, Cornelius Vöge and MASU. H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma.
Elevation, Cornelius Vöge and MASU. H.C. Andersen’s House by Kengo Kuma.
The new museum designed by Kengo Kuma, which plays a key role in the new urban landscape of the city, aims to maintain the essence of Andersen's work which shows the duality of the opposites that surround us; the real and the imaginary, nature and the man-made, light and darkness, and so on. In this way, the program aims to reflect the essence of his work by transforming it into architecture and landscape.
The museum spaces are composed of a series of circular shapes that are tangent to each other forming a chain. The curved green wall traces the underground space and defines the garden, winding and weaving in and out, above and below ground, creating a sequence of interlocking spaces, bringing visitors between the outside and the inside.
The exhibition spaces that are planned underground are created from the upper curved garden simulating a labyrinthine space. This underground world connects to the garden above through a series of sunken gardens that resemble a "portal" to the outside world.
The museum spaces are composed of a series of circular shapes that are tangent to each other forming a chain. The curved green wall traces the underground space and defines the garden, winding and weaving in and out, above and below ground, creating a sequence of interlocking spaces, bringing visitors between the outside and the inside.
The exhibition spaces that are planned underground are created from the upper curved garden simulating a labyrinthine space. This underground world connects to the garden above through a series of sunken gardens that resemble a "portal" to the outside world.
Project description by Kengo Kuma
The projects is to create a new building for the H.C. Andersen museum, the garden and Tinderbox cultural center in the heart of the city where Andersen was born. The site is located in between the residential area with small traditional wooden houses from the middle age and the newly developed urban area in Odense. There are profound messages in HC Andersen’s writing that reflects the author’s life and his life time journey. Andersen’s work projects the duality of the opposite that surrounds us; real and imaginary, nature and manmade, human and animal, light and dark…Our architectural design is to reflect this essence of his work in architectural and landscape form.
The museum spaces are composed by a series of circular forms that are tangent to each other like a chain. The continuous curve linear green wall expands and traces the underground space structure and defines the garden. It meanders and weaves in and out, above and under the ground throughout the site. In the sequence of intertwined spaces visitors will find themselves in between outside and inside as the green wall appears and disappears.
The exhibition spaces are planned underground. The garden above ground is composed with curve linear hedge that traces the exhibition spaces belowground. Here the architectural built form is diminished and visitors would be lead into the “maze” like space created by hedges. Underground world is connected to the garden above through series of sunken garden that appears like a “hole” on the ground, “portal” from fairytale world to the world outside.
The Museum would play a core role in new Urban-scape of the city. The plan is to close off one of the arterial roads and reconnect two parts of the city; new and old, which are currently separated. One part of the city where the birth house of the writer is, remains the medieval townscape with small and meandering streets, the opposite of modern urban development with wide and straight fast lanes.
More information
Architects
Collaborators
Exhibition design.- EVENT Communications Ltd., London. Landscape design.- MASU Planning. Architect of Record.- C & W Arkitekter. Engineering design.- Søren Jensen. Consultant architect.- CORNELIUS VÖGE.
Developer
The A.P. Møller Foundation has contributed 258 million DKK, the Augustinus Foundation with 27 million DKK, Knud Højgaards Fond with 4 million DKK and Nordea-fonden with 4.7 million DKK.
Area
Museum area (two-thirds underground).- 5,600 sqm. Garden area.- 7,000 sqm. Total area.- 9,000 sqm.
Budget
DKK 390 million. (€ 52,450,372).
Dates
Competition.- 2016. Design.- 2017. Opening date.- June 30th, 2021.
Location
Hans Jensens Stræde 45, 5000 Odense, Denmark.
Photography
H.C. Andersen’s Hus.
KENGO KUMA
Kengo Kuma was born in Yokohama (Kanagawa, Japan) in 1954. He studied architecture at the University of Tokyo, finishing his degree in 1979. In 1987, he opened the "Spatial Design Studio". In 1990 he founded "Kengo Kuma & Associates" and extend the study to Europe (Paris, France) in 2008. Since 1985 and until 2009, has taught as visiting professor and holder at the universities of Columbia, Keio, Illinois and Tokyo.
Main Awards:
· 2011 The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Art Encouragement Prize for "Yusuhara Wooden Bridge Museum."
· 2010 Mainichi Art Award for “Nezu Museum.”
· 2009 "Decoration Officier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" (France).
· 2008 Energy Performance + Architecture Award (France). Bois Magazine International Wood Architecture Award (France).
· 2002 Spirit of Nature Wood Architecture Award (Finland).
· 2001 Togo Murano Award for “Nakagawa-machi Bato Hiroshige Museum.”
· 1997 Architectural Institute of Japan Award for “Noh Stage in the Forest”. First Place, AIA DuPONT Benedictus Award for “Water/Glass” (USA).
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