Danish architecture studio 3XN won the competition for a project for an international scientific and educational center with the self-explanatory name Climatorium. They plan to build a two-story building on the coast of the North Sea (more precisely, Limfjord), in the Danish city of Lemvig. The customers were the city council and the local water company.
The Climatorium will be the answer to local and regional challenges related to urbanization and climate change. In particular, Lemvig is at risk of flooding due to rising sea levels. “We want to build a building that tells a story about the climate,” explains Jan Ammundsen, one of the bureau's main partners and project manager. The Center aims to make Denmark one of the "exporters" of solutions to the problems of climate change, and Lemwig himself and
Central Jutland is a center of adaptation to climate fluctuations.
Bureau 3XN has proposed a fairly simple and easy-to-follow concept. It was decided to completely cover the facade of the first floor with glass, and to sheathe the second floor with wooden slats. Thanks to the "invisible" base, the building looks like a floating object or a drifting ship.
The most striking element of the building is its entrance section with an undulating wooden recess. It forms a covered area with steps where you can sit. From the inside, the structure resembles the bottom of a boat's hull - a kind of reference to the fishing industry, and maybe to the Viking boats.
On the ground floor, local residents and tourists will host exhibitions, conferences and other environmental events; there will also be a café here. The attracted experts will occupy the second floor.
Wood, concrete and steel were chosen as the main materials for their raw aesthetics that resonate with the local environment. Undulating patterns in the surrounding area depict a map
isobars - lines used by meteorologists to identify areas with the same atmospheric pressure.
The project was co-sponsored by SLA city development consultants and technical specialists from Obricon. The scientific complex is planned to be commissioned in 2020.
Climatorium is part of the Coast to Coast Climate Challenge (C2C CC), which was launched six years ago by the Central Jutland Council together with fifty partners. By 2022, they must submit a strategy and plans for adapting the region to ongoing climate change.