Photo credit: MIR | Dorte Mandrup
Set to open in 2022, Dorte Mandrup’s new visitor center in northern Norway, called The Whale, seamlessly blends into the landscape like a small rocky hill. This would be a prime spot for whale watching during their migration. It was designed in partnership with Marianne Levinsen Landskab, JAC Studios, Thornton Tomasetti, Nils Øien and Anders Kold. The structure will be 186-miles north of the Arctic Circle.
The building doubles as a walkway for visitors to step atop as they view the stunning deep-sea canyon, as the curved roof will be made from concrete and then finished in stone to help it blend into the rocky coastline. Inside, there’s 48,437-square-feet of exhibitions about the local landscape / wildlife, offices, a cafe and of course a souvenir store.
The building rises as a soft hill on the rocky shore – as if a giant had lifted a thin layer of the crust of the earth and created a cavity underneath. A single curved concrete shell makes up the roof of The Whale. This parabolic form effectively transmits the forces to three support points in the corners of the building, creating a large, inner column-free room,” said Dorte Mandrup.
