BIG shares first look at new museum concept visually inspired by paper art.
Image used courtesy of BIG
The site of a former supermarket is set to be transformed into the new Museum for Paper Art by Bjarke Ingels Group.
Proposed for the North Jutland region of Denmark, where paper art is firmly rooted in the cultural heritage - think, iconic folded lampshades by Le Klint and H.C. Andersen's paper clips - BIG's conversion and extension seeks to celebrate paper as a creative material while doubling the museum's annual number of visitors.
The Museum for Paper Art, founded by psaligrapher Bit Vejle in 2018, is said to be the only specialised museum for paper fine crafts and design in the Nordics. The existing 900 m2 former supermarket building will be renovated and expanded by BIG to create a 2300 m2 museum with space for workshops, events, teaching rooms, storage, and office facilities. The adaptive reuse project is pursuing DGNB Gold or Platinum certification.
Image used courtesy of BIG
Image used courtesy of BIG
Image used courtesy of BIG
On first glance, the museum's fabrication appears to be made of paper itself. And this is due to the lightweight roof structure. Like a single sheet of paper, the roof lands on the existing building and creates space for the new functions around it - uniting the new and old under one roof. The existing building walls will get a new acoustic-regulating layer of paper art on the exterior, inspired by origami and designed in collaboration with several paper artists.
“Paper art is about creating three-dimensional shapes and complex images from a monochromatic two-dimensional material - a sheet of paper. By treating the roof surface as such - a single sheet of folded paper - existing and new functions are brought together in one unifying gesture. The expressive is accentuated by the clear, complexity arises from simplicity. And an obsolete supermarket finds new life under the floating curved roof", comments Bjarke Ingels, founder and creative director, BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group.
Image used courtesy of BIG
Image used courtesy of BIG
Image used courtesy of BIG
This unique appearance continues inside the museum's walls, with the focal material reflected in the architecture as surfaces are draped with a timber construction made from the wood that is used to make paper.
David Zahle, partner, BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group, explains in more detail the idea behind this, "In collaboration with Bit, we have designed a simple concept that allows a single sheet of paper to drape over the site and the existing building. In this way, the old and new are connected under one roof. In the foyer and assembly space, the old structure is clearly felt within the new one - a unified space inspired by paper and crafted in wood.”
Image used courtesy of BIG
Image used courtesy of BIG
Image used courtesy of BIG
We're very much looking forward to seeing how this project unfolds...
