Copenhagen - design of new Museum of Danish Resistance 1940-45

The new museum will be located at the same site as the original museum at Esplanaden in Churchill Park in Copenhagen. It is to have a ground floor area of about 1,000 square metres, which should be laid out within a building volume featuring different room heights on one or more levels in order to provide the largest possible exhibition space.

Because of its location close to the old citadel Kastellet, the building zone is subject to various rules and regulations on the protection of ancient monuments, nature and lakesides. Because of these constraints, the allowable extent of the building complex above ground level will be limited and underground facilities must be protected against the ingress of water.

The architectural quality of the new museum should reflect the exhibition concept, the green surroundings, the cultural heritage in the area and the nearby Copenhagen cityscape. The competition assignment comprises the new museum building as well as outdoor areas and access facilities. The actual exhibition design will be the responsibility of the National Museum of Denmark and is thus not part of the competition. The building design should be conducive to achieving the National Museum’s vision for the future museum and should therefore be developed and finalised in close collaboration with the National Museum in all stages following the competition stage. The exhibition areas should provide optimum exhibition layout flexibility, feature optimum conditions for protecting and securing objects and have a sustainable indoor climate system.