TIRPITZ Museum Blåvand building images, Danish WWII architecture, Denmark design news, Architect

TIRPITZ Museum in Jutland

Location: Blåvand, Denmark

Design: BIG Architects

TIRPITZ, a ‘Hidden Museum’ on Danish West Coast

photo © Rasmus Bendix

19 May 2020

TIRPITZ Museum

The new TIRPITZ 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. The construction of the 2,800 m2 ’invisible museum’ expected to attract around 100,000 visitors annually.

photo © Mike Bink Photography

“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.

photo © Mike Bink Photography

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,” says, Claus Kjeld Jensen, Director of Varde Museum.

photo © Colin John Seymour

photo © Colin John Seymour

photo © Mike Bink Photography

As an antithesis to the heavy volume of the WWII bunker, the 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 original artillery fortress – simply designed as an immense concrete block – the new TIRPITZ finely cuts into the dune and camouflages with the landscape.

“The architecture of the 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.

photos © Mike Bink Photography

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.” – Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner, BIG.

photos © Mike Bink Photography

Upon arrival, the visitors will first see the bunker and as they approach, see the fine cuts and paths leading towards the center of the museum complex. The 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.

TIRPITZ, hidden museum on danish west coast from tinker imagineers on Vimeo.

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, such as Anna’s, the girl who had a child with a German soldier; Gold of the West Coast is Western Europe’s most comprehensive exhibition of amber, presented in an enchanting steel forest.

photos © Mike Bink Photography

Along with its changing colours and sounds, the atmosphere of the rooms alternates between warm and cold: references to the history of amber; and West Coast Stories tells 100,000 years of west coast history and is turned into a nighttime 4D theatre twice an hour.

photo © Colin John Seymour

The audio-visual theatre has visitors sit down in a lifeboat before taking them on a tempestuous journey through time.

photos © Mike Bink Photography

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.

photos © Rasmus Hjortshoj

“TIRPITZ is a unique opportunity to combine nature and culture in a spectacular fashion. A visit to the museum is not a visit to an exhibition gallery, but a scenic journey through time and space of West Jutland. The idea is that the whole place itself comes to life following the rhythms of nature.” – Erik Bär, Founding Partner, Tinker imagineers.

photos © Mike Bink Photography

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.

photos © Mike Bink Photography

The largest roof deck weighs about 1.090 ton and the complex roof structure 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. 6m tall glass panels face the outdoor courtyard, allowing natural daylight into the four exhibition spaces.

photo © Erik Bär, Tinker imagineers

Tripitz Museum Jutland, Denmark – Building Information

Size: 2,800 sqm
Location: Blåvand, Denmark
Collaboraters: Kloosterboer Decor, AKT, BIG IDEAS, Fuldendt, Lüchinger+Meyer, COWI, Svend Ole Hansen, Gade & Mortensen Akustik, Bach Landskab, Ingeniørgruppen syd, Kjæhr & Trillingsgaard, Pelcon

photos © Mike Bink Photography

About BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group
BIG is a Copenhagen, New York and London based group of architects, designers, builders, and thinkers operating within the fields of architecture, urbanism, interior design, landscape design, product design, research and development. 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.

photo © Mike Bink Photography

In 2013, BIG completed the Danish National Maritime Museum, in which crucial historic elements are integrated in an innovative concept of submersed galleries.

photo © Mike Bink Photography

About Tinker imagineers
Tinker imagineers is an experience design and production agency from Utrecht, The Netherlands. It celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2016. Rooted in cognitive psychology, Tinker mixes the latest insights in human sensemaking with the storytelling and creative use of media technology.

photo © Mike Bink Photography

With a team of around forty consultants, designers, content and multimedia developers and producers Tinker realises museums, visitor centres, and experiences for business and community organisations and has a broad national and international portfolio. Recently they renewed Pete Mondrian’s house of birth with an immersive, multimedia experience.

photo © Mike Bink Photography