A Danish visitor center has been cleverly built into a hill.
The Skamlingsbanken in Kolding—which resembles a Hobbit house or even the setting for Teletubbies—is located in a place of cultural significance.
Architects CEBRA explain the glacial landscape “holds a central place in Danish history, and over time it has been a setting for debates about democracy, the border country, and women’s suffrage.”
In the past, Skamlingsbanken—due to its undulating landscape with hollows and hills—was a natural gathering point sheltered from the wind, and many civil gatherings and festivals, therefore, took place right here.
Carsten Primdahl, partner and architect at CEBRA, says, “Skamlingsbanken connects the past with the present and the future, and one of the project’s main ambitions has been to actualize the place’s remarkable history and nature into a contemporary context.
“The new visitor center is a modern arena for democratic culture and recreates Skamlingsbanken as a setting for important debates and education about the things that concern us, e.g., climate change.
“At Skamlingsbanken we have created a place where visitors will gain knowledge about our democracy and nature through a diversity of experiences.”
The center is designed as a natural and integrated part of the undulating landscape and from the overall design to the small details, visitors will experience an architecture that finds its origin in Skamlingsbanken’s unique nature and history.
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It is located on the highest point in Southern Jutland and consists of an old grazing landscape. Several native species are rare, and during the development of the visitor center, it has been crucial to protect the site’s flora and fauna.
In collaboration with the biologist, Mette Keseler List from Kolding Municipality, a special grass mixture based on local species was developed and spread on and around the building.
The mixture provides optimal conditions for the local herbs, and together with the reuse of natural peat from the building site, the project thus supports the continued development of the unique local nature and biodiversity.
“The visitor center is an architectural interpretation of the glacial landscape. It is not a destination itself, but part of an overall narrative. The building is a portal—to the significant history and the local nature—and forms a natural starting point for hikes in the area, where a network of paths flows through both building and landscape. From here visitors are guided into the landscape or inside the center to the exhibition, the teaching facilities, or the café,” says Carsten Primdahl.
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CEBRA say, “The main attraction at Skamlingsbanken is nature itself. When visitors enter the exhibition space, they will experience moving through the hill and its many hidden stories. The corrugated back wall is plastered with clay, and the rest of the interior is characterised by local materials like wood, terrazzo with fieldstones and, calm, earthy colour tones.”
Skamlingsbanken officially opened in 2021. It is hoped an easing in pandemic restrictions will allow it to fully open in 2022.
CEBRA are currently working on a project that will further develop the experience for visitors with an exhibition project in the landscape surrounding the visitor center. The project is expected to be realized within the next few years.
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