A happy rector of the University of Copenhagen, Ralf Hemmingsen, today with Director of Property Agency, Carsten Jarlov, and director of the Natural History Museum, Morten Meldgaard, presenting the six teams that will compete to design Denmark's new natural history museum. With its location in the heart of Copenhagen Botanical Garden is the museum an exciting focal point for science in Denmark. - Denmark's new natural history museum should be a beacon that through innovative communication to give children and young people want to deal with science. At the same time, the museum will ensure modern and inspiring environment for our researchers. I am therefore very proud that with this architecture takes a crucial step towards ensuring the future framework for communication and research in science, says the rector of the University of Copenhagen, Ralf Hemmingsen.
Completely new framework
The new natural history museum will, when completed, accommodate one of the world's 10 largest natural history collections. Appearance-wise and physically, the new museum to replace the old museums Zoological Museum, Geological Museum and Botanical Museum. Therefore, it is quite a task, the architectural firms face. - We present today six great teams, all of which have previously proved that they can create the visionary architectural solutions, a building of this caliber. And we are confident that they will all deliver unique bid at the museum construction, which will be the largest and most comprehensive in Denmark in recent times, says Director of Property Agency, Carsten Jarlov.
The six teams
-Lundgaard & Tranberg Architects; architect Claus H. Pryds; EKJ Advisory In-engineers; professor and landscape architect Steen Høyer -Snøhetta (N); Arup, London (GB); Esbensen Consulting Engineers; Lord Culture (F); Office for Visual Interaction (USA) -David Chipperfield Architects, Berlin (D); Arup, Berlin (D); Wirtz International (B) -Cowi; Steven Holl (USA); MVVA (USA); Guy Nordenson and Associates (USA), Trans Solar (D) -Bjarke Ingels Group; ACT II (UK); Wissenberg, Vogt Landscape (CH), Space Syntax (UK); Kvorning design and communication -Kengo Kuma + Associates (J); Erik Møller Architects; Jaja Architects; Buro Happold Cph; Thing and Wainø; 2 + 1 Ideas Agency; HaCaFrø Each team receives a fee of DKK 500,000, and the winner will additionally 500,000 in prize. The competition period runs from 24 November 2011 to 29 February 2012, and a winner will be announced at the end of May 2012. You can follow the competition and museum project on the website nytnaturhistorisk.dk. You can also visit the newly opened infohal in the Botanical Gardens. The new museum is expected to cost around one billion Danish kroner. A number of private foundations have expressed positive interest in the project, while the State and the University of Copenhagen contributes land and buildings for a total value of about 385 million. Additionally, it has been crucial for the further work towards the establishment of a new museum, the University Board in March 2010 decided to guarantee the future operations of the Natural History Museum of at least the current level.
It says the six competing teams
- To draw the new Natural History Museum is not only a deeply interesting and challenging task, it is also a task to undertake: Copenhagen's green oasis to be preserved with all its qualities. The new must lie in and form a stronger unity between garden and museum to the garden stands as a richer place when the museum is completed. The team we have assembled, has this as its common goal - to make Copenhagen and Denmark a beautiful museum, where the existing garden and its history still plays the lead role, says Lene Tranberg from Lundgaard & Tranberg Architects and Claus Harboesgaard Pryds. - We, from Arkitektkontoret Snøhetta, has for more than 20 years specialized in the meeting between building and landscape, between design and nature. With the team we've got composed, consisting of: Arup, Esbensen Consulting Engineers, LORD Culture and OVI Office for Visual Interaction, we feel like a good candidate to come up with optimal and surprising solutions to this exciting task. We look forward, says Snøhetta, Oslo. - We will involve identifying additional qualities that already exist in the existing location of the museum. We therefore also more task with Denmark's new natural history museum as a reorkestrering of what already exists instead of merely importing new qualities, says Alexander Schwartz, David Chipperfield Architects. - We are excited about the opportunity to participate in a competition with so great a task, with so talented participants, together with an international team, who all share the deepest respect and curiosity optionin order to bring this unique location in Copenhagen new architectural qualities, says Steven Holl, Steven Holl Architects and COWI. - The old Zoological Museum stands as one of hightlightsne from my childhood. For once a museum, which was full of fantastic experiences, artificial landscapes, huge skeletons and stuffed animals - at all verve and a rare fusion of learning and entertainment, knowledge and adventure. The upcoming Natural History Museum will not only have to pick Zoological, Geological and Botanical Museum in a new integrated institution, but also had to be accommodated as a natural part of the Botanical Garden as a new and different hybrid between building and landscape with exhibitions both inside and out. We are very excited about the opportunity to give a glimpse of tomorrow's Natural History Museum - a substantive, exhibition-related, urban and scenic challenge of great complexity site and with a huge potential, says Bjarke Ingels, BIG. - The Botanical Garden is a very special and important area of Copenhagen, which requires a special understanding and empathy to find the right balance between the new and the existing. We approach the task with respect for the existing values and with the courage to add new items that can both create the necessary innovation and renewal of the botanical garden and a modern state of the art natural history museum. The location provides the opportunity to create a unique symbiosis of the garden and the museum that are not found elsewhere in the world, says Peder Elgaard from Erik Møller Architects and Kengo Kuma + Associates.
Source: KU 
