Hidden Hillside Cultural Center In Denmark Reserves Its Roof For Cows Only
Blink, and you might miss it. The storied Skamlingsbanken, Denmark, with a history of key democracy events, now hosts a visitor center tucked away in its hillside.
Designed by architecture firm CEBRA, the building is revealed only through two cutouts. This was done so the focus can still remain on the surrounding landscape, and the architecture will not disrupt nature.
CEBRA explains that the visitor center was built in a protected area, and it was vital to retain the landscape and its biological values. Skamlingsbanken is located on the highest point in Southern Jutland, and is home to many rare native species, too.
“The main idea was to make the architecture a part of the overall landscape and to be as subtle as possible,” CEBRA founding partner Carsten Primdah tells Dezeen.
Rather than being a destination in itself, the building is “but a node in a network of natural paths that crisscrosses Skamlingsbanken.”
Its corrugated back wall is made of clay, with the rest of the interior incorporating local materials like wood and terrazzo with fieldstones, the architects state.
A focus on calm, earthy color tones is also evident in its design.
Dezeen also reports that the roof of the Skamlingsbanken visitor center, which is covered with greenery and reused natural peat from the construction site, is reserved for a select group of guests only: cows.
The visitor center comprises an exhibition space, teaching areas, a café, and a shop. Visitors can learn about the site and how it was used in the past, as well as how democratic action is needed to solve the issues that we face today.
