thøgersen&stouby + SLA design a 'multiverse of nature' on the danish coast

on the west coast of denmark, in the city of ringkøbing, a new landmark designed by thøgersen&stouby and SLA has opened its doors to the public on june 12, 2020. inviting people to experience and learn about nature across a huge site of 50 hectares, naturkraft is an ‘exploratorium and nature arena’ that expects to attract 280,000 visitors annually. with a name that directly translates to ‘nature power’, the project has been developed to showcase the fundamental importance of nature for humans.

image courtesy of thøgersen&stouby

the scheme comprises three main elements that are inextricably linked, and which weave experience and architecture together like interlaced fingers: a 600 meter ring wall with 50 hectares of surrounding land; an inner nature and adventure park with local biotopes and playful installations; as well as an integrated main building of 5500 square meters with modern dissemination about the powers of nature. these three parts create three zones focusing on observation, participation and understanding respectively.

image courtesy of thøgersen&stouby

‘we live in the anthropocene age. this means that humans can be regarded as the power of nature that triggers the greatest changes in the earth’s climate, topography and biodiversity. mankind holds the opportunity to influence the biosphere in both a negative and a positive direction. with its love affirmation of nature’s processes – from the fierce north sea storm to the quiet, almighty photosynthesis – naturkraft provides inspiration and hope for the positive direction,’ says jens-erik thøgersen, founding partner of thøgersen&stouby.

image courtesy of torben petersen

the architecture of naturkraft is designed to integrate into the surroundings while also appearing as a ‘scenic icon’ on the flat landscape. from the 12 meter high ring wall visitors can enjoy the view of ringkøbing fjord, feel the prevailing western wind and look out across the characteristically level topography. at the highest point of the ring wall, the wall is replaced by a transparent building of 5500 square meters. the façade is made from the lightweight material ETFE, which gives the interior of the building a tent-like feeling of shelter while also being exposed to the temperature, sounds and light of the surrounding nature.

image courtesy of torben petersen

the heart of naturkraft is the ‘new nature’ spanning a total 5 hectares. the nature arena encourages and challenges visitors to experience the power of nature through physical play, enlightening learning activities and intuitive understanding of the interaction between humans and nature. the new nature in naturkraft is a 17 kilometer long ‘cross-section’ of the existing nature from west to east through western jutland of denmark. based on the cross-section, eight specially designed nature typologies such as the sand dune, the heathland, the marsh and the carbon forest have been combined into a new form of human-made ecosystem. 

concept plan courtesy of SLA

‘in naturkraft, we create a multiverse of new nature based on a comprehensive knowledge on the processes of nature, the cultural history and the unique geodiversity of the local area, growth conditions and biological diversity. based on this knowledge, we have created a condensed and hypersensuous juxtaposition of local nature typologies, all of which show nature as the foundation of our lives and societies: as raw material and production material and as a foundation for meaning and quality of life in the anthropocene age,’ says stig l. andersson, design director and founding partner of SLA.

naturkraft from above

nature as the foundation for life on earth and quality of life is a guiding element for the experience and understanding of naturkraft. thus, SLA’s nature design focuses both on the physical phenomena of nature and on its emotional and cognitive significance for humans. ‘naturkraft is both about the visible nature powers that humans experience and use in nature, and about the deep-seated aesthetic sense of nature that nature phenomena awaken in us. nature is what allows us humans to live good and meaningful lives. for both survival and living. in naturkraft we show how the use of natural processes can shape our future cities and communities. not by hitherto destroying existing nature, but by learning from nature and living with and not against it,’ says stig l. andersson, design director and founding partner of SLA.

image courtesy of torben petersen

project info:

project name: naturkraft
location: ringkøbing, denmark
area: plot of land: 50 acres, experience arena: 5 acres, buildings: 5500 square meters
client: naturkraft foundation
lead design architect on building, arena and experiences: thøgersen&stouby
new nature: SLA
architect: hune & elkjær
engineers: NIRAS, fuldendt
contractor: hansen & larsen
construction budget: 300 million danish kroner
supported financially by: a.p. møller foundation, ringkøbing-skjern municipality, realdania, augustinus foundation, vestas, villum foundation, færch foundation, tryg foundation, velux foundation, erhvervsvækst ringkøbing, beckett-foundation, krogager foundation, hedeselskabet.
opens: june 12 2020