olafur eliasson's first building is a curved brick, semi-submerged scheme in denmark

in vejle, denmark, olafur eliasson and sebastian behmann, with studio olafur eliasson, have completed fjordenhus (fjord house). the project has been commissioned by KIRK KAPITAL, and serves as the company’s new headquarters. in addition to the scheme being designed by eliasson, the site incorporates the artist’s own installations, as well as specially-designed furniture and lighting.

rising from the water, fjordenhus forges a connection between vejle fjord and the city centre of vejle — one of jutland peninsula’s thriving economic hubs. the brick project marks a shift of the studio’s architectural activities to a new international office for art and architecture called studio other spaces (SOS), founded by eliasson and long-time collaborator, architect sebastian behmann.

all images by anders sune berg

eliasson and his team designed a public, double-height entrance dedicated to the building’s relationship to the harbor, specifically where the structure plunges beneath the water’s edge. two aqueous zones are visible from viewing platforms. this connection to the surrounding landscape was important across both the architectural spaces and eliasson’s artworks, which engage in a dialogue with the ever-changing environment.

‘I am very thankful for the trust shown by the kirk johansen family in inviting me, with my studio, to conceive fjordenhus,’ eliasson says. ‘this allowed us to turn years of research — on perception, physical movement, light, nature, and the experience of space — into a building that is at once a total work of art and a fully functional architectural structure. in the design team, we experimented from early on with how to create an organic building that would respond to the ebb and flow of the tides, to the shimmering surface of the water, changing at different times of the day and of the year. the curving walls of the building transform our perception of it as we move through its spaces. I hope the residents of vejle will embrace fjordenhus and identify with it as a new landmark for the harbour and their city.’

formed of four intersecting cylinders, the building for KIRK KAPITAL soars 28 meters (92 feet) high. rounded negative volumes are carved from a facade of custom-glazed brick, creating an complex curved, circular, and elliptical forms, torquing walls and parabolic arches. within this its unique urban setting, the building highlights vejle’s future as a center for today’s generation, and communities to come.

studio other spaces will be the vehicle for eliasson and behmann to carry out large-scale interdisciplinary and experimental architectural projects of a scope similar to fjordenhus, in addition to works for public space.

1/8