North of Copenhagen lies an art museum surrounded by forest. The museum’s eclectic architecture connects past and present and takes its visitors on a journey from the time of Gotfred Tvede – the architect behind the original country house, built during the First World War – to the British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, who designed the new, striking museum wing in 2005. In 2021, the Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta added a new, characteristic element to Ordrupgaard with an underground extension in geometric shapes that reflect the light and the landscape.
Museum – Charlottenlund, Denmark
Architect: Snøhetta
Photographer: Laura Stamer
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Oak Classic
Thickness: 22 mm. Width: 175 mm. Random lengths: 1–4 m.
Finish: White oil
One of most important collections of Danish and French art from the 19th and 20th centuries in Northern Europe is presented in a setting shaped by three different architects and with an architectural history spanning more than a hundred years: Ordrupgaard in Denmark.
The museum’s latest architectural masterpiece was created by the award-winning Norwegian firm Snøhetta, which placed the new museum building and its exhibition halls 14 metres under ground. Here, visitors find a sensuous world inspired by the impressionist artists that are featured in the museum. Just as Monet, Renoir, Degas and Gauguin capture light and shadow in their art, Snøhetta’s architecture reflects the changeable nature of every moment.
Above ground, Snøhetta’s building is visible as a sculptural steel construction in geometric shapes with a surface that gives rise to unique reflections of the light and sky. Due to this effect, the building is affectionately known as ‘the Sky Garden’.
The beautiful underground exhibition halls have plank floors in Dinesen Oak, which draw light into the space and contain a subtle reference to the surrounding landscape and forest. A new-built stair turret is similarly clad with Dinesen Oak and provides an impressive setting for the climb from the deep to the surface.
