National Aquarium of Denmark by 3XN Architects: bird’s eye view, first floor, and roof plan, and conceptual scheme. The five arms curl around a central foyer from which the public can access the exhibitions independently from one another. While the first arm accommodates a long arrival ramp and the entrance hall, and the second houses an auditorium, an educational facility, and a cafeteria the remaining three contain the permanent exhibition and accommodate, respectively, the sections dedicated to seas & oceans, to rivers & lakes, and to Danish cold waters. Indeed, each of the five arms which form the spiral houses a specific functional area. The 97,000 square foot aluminum-clad whirlpool which constitutes the architectural trademark of the building, along with being an iconic shape reminiscent of the “form of the water” and a reference to the legendary Maelströms by Poe and Verne, it also quite apt for the Danish aquarium’s function. Perhaps best known as The Blue Planet, the National Aquarium of Denmark in Kastrup, a town a few miles south of the heart of Copenhagen, is possibly the most terrific among such infrequent anomalies.ĭesigned by Danish architects 3XN and completed in 2013, The Blue Planet is a remarkably successful attempt to connect the theme of an aquarium, namely water and the creatures living in it, with its architectural concept and form. There are essentially two types of such buildings: uninspiring large metal boxes, which remember me some kind of a giant post-disaster emergency shelter, and glass-and-plasterboard pastiches which would have been considered too kitsch even in the darkest days of Coney Island.Įxceptions are rare, and to find an outstanding exception is like stumbling upon the Koh-i-Noor while walking your dog. I like aquaria, but I hate their buildings. The architecture of The Blue Planet – National Aquarium of Denmark by 3XN Architects Aerial view of the National Aquarium of Denmark in Kastrup photo Dragoer Luftfoto, courtesy of 3XN Architects.
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