The new H.C. Andersen museum designed by Kengo Kuma opens on June 30th
20/06/2021.
[Odense] Denmark. 30.06.2021
metalocus, ANTONIO PLATO
metalocus, ANTONIO PLATO
Project description by Kengo Kuma
The projects is to create a new building for the H.C. Andersen museum, the garden and Tinderbox cultural center in the heart of the city where Andersen was born. The site is located in between the residential area with small traditional wooden houses from the middle age and the newly developed urban area in Odense. There are profound messages in HC Andersen’s writing that reflects the author’s life and his life time journey. Andersen’s work projects the duality of the opposite that surrounds us; real and imaginary, nature and manmade, human and animal, light and dark…Our architectural design is to reflect this essence of his work in architectural and landscape form.
The museum spaces are composed by a series of circular forms that are tangent to each other like a chain. The continuous curve linear green wall expands and traces the underground space structure and defines the garden. It meanders and weaves in and out, above and under the ground throughout the site. In the sequence of intertwined spaces visitors will find themselves in between outside and inside as the green wall appears and disappears.
The exhibition spaces are planned underground. The garden above ground is composed with curve linear hedge that traces the exhibition spaces belowground. Here the architectural built form is diminished and visitors would be lead into the “maze” like space created by hedges. Underground world is connected to the garden above through series of sunken garden that appears like a “hole” on the ground, “portal” from fairytale world to the world outside.
The Museum would play a core role in new Urban-scape of the city. The plan is to close off one of the arterial roads and reconnect two parts of the city; new and old, which are currently separated. One part of the city where the birth house of the writer is, remains the medieval townscape with small and meandering streets, the opposite of modern urban development with wide and straight fast lanes.
Kengo Kuma was born in Yokohama (Kanagawa, Japan) in 1954. He studied architecture at the University of Tokyo, finishing his degree in 1979. In 1987, he opened the "Spatial Design Studio". In 1990 he founded "Kengo Kuma & Associates" and extend the study to Europe (Paris, France) in 2008. Since 1985 and until 2009, has taught as visiting professor and holder at the universities of Columbia, Keio, Illinois and Tokyo.
Main Awards:
· 2011 The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Art Encouragement Prize for "Yusuhara Wooden Bridge Museum."
· 2010 Mainichi Art Award for “Nezu Museum.”
· 2009 "Decoration Officier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" (France).
· 2008 Energy Performance + Architecture Award (France). Bois Magazine International Wood Architecture Award (France).
· 2002 Spirit of Nature Wood Architecture Award (Finland).
· 2001 Togo Murano Award for “Nakagawa-machi Bato Hiroshige Museum.”
· 1997 Architectural Institute of Japan Award for “Noh Stage in the Forest”. First Place, AIA DuPONT Benedictus Award for “Water/Glass” (USA).