TERROIR’s submission to the international competition to design the new Natural History Museum in Copenhagen’s Botanical Gardens has been awarded a prize at an awards ceremony held in Copenhagen.

The bold scheme goes against one of the main stipulations of the competition, which stated that the new structure should sit completely underground.

The firm has proposed a cellular system of connected bulbs, some of which would sit above ground to provide café and entrance facilities, as well as creating a glass spire. TERROIR director Gerard Reinmuth explained: “this iconic, slender spire would complement the existing spires which dot the Copenhagen skyline and announce the institution across the city”.

The firm acknowledges that challenging the brief of the competition was “radical”, and now hope that the DKK100,000 award will take them a step closer to making the shortlist for the next stage of the competition.

The Natural History Museum brings together three institutions located within the Botanical Gardens: the Botanical Museum and Library, the Geological Museum and the Zoological Museum. The firm’s proposal for the redevelopment is for a dynamic, contemporary institution that does not interfere with the existing garden.

TERROIR’s scheme brings together the different elements of the museum, envisaging a series of bulbs ‘planted’ underground, creating a network of gallery and storage spaces. The collection of the new museum is archived on the lower level, allowing glimpses down to the collections from exhibition spaces above.

All images courtesy TERROIR.
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