Kalø Tower

The project allows access to one of Denmark’s archaeological gems, while offering and intricate spatial experience. Previously inaccessible, the visitor can enter and climb the main space of the tower, perceive the archaeological layers and view the landscape. Culture and nature, at a small and large scale, are united by this spiral access.

  This 700 year-old medieval ruin is key in Danish history. Built on an isthmus projecting from the coast, it is a local reference, a social anchor and major national tourist attraction in the northern part of the Jutland peninsula. Three stories high and two stories deep, the brick tower has been empty of its internal structure for centuries, with a single small opening at its base as the only source of visual access to the interior.

The project, a zig-zagging staircase, allows the visitor to enter, experience the archaeological layers at hand’s reach, walk upwards to access facade openings and balconies, while offering at each landing the opportunity to view the magnificent landscapes surrounding this historic site. While being minimal in its detail, the staircase creates an intricate space within the cubic emptiness, culminating at its top open to the sky.

Kalø Tower Visitor Access, Rønde, Denmark
Program: observation tower
Architect: MAP Architects
Area: 145 sqm
Completion: 2016