The Blue Planet, Copenhagen, Denmark

Architect: 3XN

Address: Kajakvej, 2770 Kastrup, DK

Client: Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority

Competition: 1st prize in invited competition

Project development: 2010-13 Size: 9.000 m2 Budget: ? 25m

Danish architects 3XN wins competition on the new Denmark's Aquarium, 'The Blue Planet' planned to open 2013.

3XNs winning proposal is called 'Whirlpool' inspired by the whirl streams of the sea, shoals of fish, and swirling starlings turning the sky black. The centre of the building is the hall, from which the different parts are 'whirled' in the slightly curved sequence of rooms, at the same time ensuring that the aquarium will be easy to extend.

位于丹麦哥本哈根的Blue Planet水族馆是由3XN建筑设计事务所设计的。

设计师在设计这栋建筑时，受到了海洋中的旋风、鱼群等的启发，从空中俯瞰，水族馆形似风车，而在正常视点看则完全是抽象几何形体。

该项目预计于2013 年对外开放。

The Blue Planet building site is in Copenhagen, at the island of Amager, right at the coast of Øresund, north of Kastrup Havn, close to the Copenhagen Airport, and viewed from a plane the whirlpool shape will show in its full. Approaching on the ground, one will experience the building as floating in a circular reflection pool, and a walk through its interior is a travel through several organic worlds.

Designing The Blue Planet the architects team was indeed inspired by nature, says principal of 3XN, Kim Herforth Nielsen.

"We wanted to stage a totality of the experience one has visiting an aquarium. The starting point was this magnificent experience of actually watching fish in their element. We wanted to create that adventurous feeling, and we took inspiration in the natural phenomenon of the whirlpool or maelstrom drawing you into the deep. A sculpture at the coast it unites the natural elements of water, air and earth."

Bent Frank, Chairman of the consortium behind The Blue Planet has great hopes for the future of the new Denmark's Aquarium, saying that

"the 3XN winning proposal is based on the clear idea and strikes one as a very convincing piece of architecture. It has the potential for making the new Denmark's Aquarium a pivotal point for extraordinary experiences and new insights into the world of science. With this extraordinary design I believe The Blue Planet will become a true landmark for Copenhagen and Denmark and for all visitors, whether they arrive by plane, by boat or passing over the bridge from Sweden."

The architectural competition on The Blue Planet was launched in December last year with six selected architectural firms competing. In March this year two proposals were selected for a last round, and out of these two 3XNs proposal Whirlpool is now appointed the winner of the competition.

Organized together with the Architect's Association of Denmark, the consortium behind The Blue Planet is comprised by Denmark's Aquarium, Realdania, Knud Højgaards Fond and Tårnby Kommune.

Inspired by the shape of water in endless motion, The Blue Planet is shaped as a great whirlpool. The new Denmark’s Aquarium is situated in the borderland between the worlds of Poseidon and Zeus. The walls and roofs form a single, continuous flow and are clad in a way which emphasises the wavy outline of the building, thereby telling a story of this union. The first and longest of the whirlpool’s arms follows the shape of the landscape and the building, moving into the land.