ArchShowcase 
Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. TIRPITZ, A ‘Hidden Museum’ in Blåvand, Denmark by Bjarke Ingels Group and Tinker imagineersAugust 25th, 2017 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Bjarke Ingels Group and Tinker imagineers Varde Museums, BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, and Tinker Imagineers celebrate the opening of TIRPITZ – a sanctuary in the sand that acts as a gentle counterbalance to the dramatic war history of the site in Blåvand on the west coast of Denmark.
 Image Courtesy © Mike Bink Photography
 Image Courtesy © Mike Bink Photography 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.  Image Courtesy © Mike Bink Photography  Image Courtesy © 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. 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.  Image Courtesy © Mike Bink Photography  Image Courtesy © 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.  Image Courtesy © Erik Bär, Tinker imagineers  Image Courtesy © Mike Bink Photography “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. 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.  Image Courtesy © Mike Bink Photography  Image Courtesy © 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. 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.  Image Courtesy © Mike Bink Photography  Image Courtesy © Mike Bink Photography 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. 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. The audio-visual theatre has visitors sit down in a lifeboat before taking them on a tempestuous journey through time.  Image Courtesy © Mike Bink Photography  Image Courtesy © 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. “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.”  Image Courtesy © Mike Bink Photography  Image Courtesy © Mike Bink Photography Erik Bär, Founding Partner, Tinker imagineers. 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. 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.  Image Courtesy © Mike Bink Photography  Image Courtesy © 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. In 2013, BIG completed the Danish National Maritime Museum, in which crucial historic elements are integrated in an innovative concept of submersed galleries.  Image Courtesy © Rasmus Hjortshoj  Image Courtesy © Rasmus Hjortshoj 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. 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.  Image Courtesy © Colin John Seymour  Image Courtesy © Mike Bink Photography  Image Courtesy © Mike Bink Photography  Image Courtesy © Mike Bink Photography  Image Courtesy © Mike Bink Photography
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