New Museum Garden in Copenhagen, National Gallery of Denmark Images, Danish Landscape Architecture, Architect
New Museum Garden at National Gallery
Copenhagen Landscape at National Gallery of Denmark design by POLYFORM Architects
page updated 27 Dec 2016 with new photos ; 18 Nov 2014
New Museum Garden in Copenhagen
Location: Statens Museum for Kunst, Sølvgade 48-50, Copenhagen, Denmark
Architect: POLYFORM Architects
A melting pot of art and Copenhagen life
The new landscape in front of The National Gallery of Denmark is designed as a melting pot – where art can mix with urban life. The urban space is created by Danish POLYFORM Architects and Dutch landscape architects Karres en Brands and has received a warm welcome from the Copenhageners. At the opening event the museum set a new visitor record as almost 8.000 people celebrated the city’s new artsy urban space.
photo : WHelle Kristiansent
POLYFORM partner Thomas Kock explains how the urban space is designed to be accessible and welcoming to everyone: “This garden is meant for both the museum and the city – its embracing design obviously gives an easy accessible entry to the arts, but it also gives the general public a new green urban space to meet up in, the option to sit down by the fountain and maybe enjoy art happenings and events.”
Thomas Kock also underlines that the new urban space is the exact opposite of the previous baroque-inspired garden and it’s strict, closed off design: “Today soft round islands of grass and winding pathways invites you into a landscape that is open day and night. We wanted to allow lots of space so the art could float out of the museum and into the garden – and in this way making it a melting pot for art and the city life.” concludes Thomas Kock.
photograph : Wichmann+Bendtsen
The goal of letting art meet urban life was seemingly achieved already at the opening of the garden as a mixed crowd of thousands enjoyed the last sunny day of an Indian summer. The art crowd was mingling at the foot of the museum stairs, hip youngsters were drinking draft beer on the grass and seniors and parents enjoyed the sight of kids playing with boats and bathing in the water fountain.
photo : Wichmann+Bendtsen
The great water basin in the middle of the garden is a natural hang out and gathering point. The fascination and attraction of water draws people in and the wide edge of the basin invites them to sit down.
But according to Thomas Kock the basin is designed for much more: “Its multifunctional. On a normal day the basin will serve as a water mirror, which pulls the city’s towers into the garden and thereby brings the city and the museum closer together. But emptied the basin can also serve as a platform for art installations, concerts, performance art or as an ice skating rink.” And Thomas Kock continues, “With a diameter of 105 feet the basin can facilitate a wide variety of creative expression.”
The Danish Minister of Culture Marianne Jelved inaugurated the museum garden at The National Gallery of Denmark on September 19th 2014. The garden is always open for visitors.
picture : Wichmann+Bendtsen
New Museum Garden in Copenhagen – Design Information
– The garden water fountain is made of 32 specially designed curvy concrete components weighing up to 8 tonnes each.
– The depth of the basin is measured so kids (and adults) can play with model boats.
– A beloved part of the former baroque-inspired garden was the lilac bushes. For this reason 318 lilac bushes will be planted in the new garden. The lightning fixtures of the previous garden are reused in the new garden as well.
– The garden has moveable green chairs, which allows visitors to move them around and sit exactly where they want.
image : Wichmann+Bendtsen
Plant and tree varieties of the garden:
• Acer campestre, Naur
• Acer rubrum, Rød løn
• Quercus palustris, Sumpeg
• Robinia pseudoacacia, Alm. robinie
• Magnolia soulangeana, Alm. magnolie
• Corylus colurna, Tyrkisk hassel
• Syringa vulgaris ‘Andenken an Ludwig Späth’
• Syringa vulgaris ‘Beauty of Moscow’
• Syringa vulgaris ‘Madame Lemoine’
• Syringa vulgaris ‘Marie Legraye’
• Syringa vulgaris ‘Michael Büchner’
Location: Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, Denmark
Client: The National Gallery of Denmark / City of Copenhagen / Annie og Otto Johs. Detlefs Foundation
Architects: POLYFORM Architects og Karres en Brands
Area: 10.000 square meters
When: 2011-14
Budget: 2,7 million euros
Type: Competition – 1st Prize
Team: Thomas Kock, Jonas Sangberg, Sylvia Karres, Bart Brands, Signe Hertzum, Nikolaj Frølund Thomsen, Henrik Thomas Faurskov, Sofie Mandrup, Sofia Bergman, Tomas Degenaar, Elke Krausmann, Sander Vedder, Marianne Weeke Borup og Julie Thorsø Hansen
Collaborators: Oluf Jørgensen Ingeniører, Via Trafik, Annemarie Lund and Svava Riesto
Photography: Wichmann+Bendtsen and Helle Kristiansen
photograph : Helle Kristiansent
New Museum Garden in Copenhagen images / information from POLYFORM Architects
National Gallery of Denmark / Statens Museum for Kunst
photo © Adrian Welch, 2016
National Gallery of Denmark Building
Location: Sølvgade 48-50, 1307 København, Denmark
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