In the marshlands of the Wadden Sea, the largest national park in Denmark and UNESCO World Heritage, Dorte Mandrup extended and rebuilt a large thatched farm. Discovering that the studio’s founder has a background in sculpture and ceramics only partly justifies the results achieved by this intervention on a pre-existing building, which is carefully crafted and highly expressive.
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The project engages with the local tradition of roofs and facades thatched with water reeds, a technique that appeared in the Viking age. The intervention partly integrates the existing building which typology is that of a four-winged farm. The straws for the 2,600 sqm thatched surfaces of the structure have been harvested locally and a strong emphasis has been put on fire-issues, designed in collaboration with experts from both Denmark and Holland. As opposed to the existing building, Dorte Mandrup has hid the steel-frame in the construction while the building technique has been kept in the extension. The facades, which openings were enlarged and adapted, consist of partitions of prefabricated insulated wood-cassettes. 3,200 meters of robinia wood slats have been used as cladding and installed at a distance from the existing walls. This wood requires low maintenance and will gain a silver grey patina over time. While Oil-treated oak wood has been used to frame the glass partitions, boardwalks and terraces have been paved with pine Thermowood.
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The main building of the Wadden Sea Centre features the extended exhibition space, an entrance area with cafè, a covered terraced and office area, while the annex – opposite to the access – hosts education rooms, a second covered terrace and a storage space. The architectural project has been conceived in collaboration with the exhibition architect ensuring a cohesively designed space.
- Project:
- Wadden Sea Centre
- Location:
- Ribe, Denmark
- Program:
- museum
- Architect:
- Dorte Mandrup
- Main contractor:
- Bo Michelsen A/S
- Thatch-contractor:
- Tækkemand Kim Andersen ApS – In cooperation with: Tækkemand Arne Kluwer and Hemmed Tækkefirma
- Completion:
- 2017