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FJORDENHUS
HAVNEØEN 1, 7100 VEJLE, DENMARK.
Strolling across the expansive plaza of the man-made Harbour Island in Vejle, Denmark, an exquisite image of torquing walls and parabolic arches rises from the shallow waters. The inaugural architectural work of the artist, Olafur Eliasson and his team at Studio Olafur Eliasson, Fjord House is now a part of Vejle’s natural landscape, playing headquarters to business and investment company, KIRK KAPITAL, as well as providing a unique space for the people of Vejle to immerse themselves in their natural surroundings.
Taking a total of five years to build, Fjord House is formed by four intersecting cylinders which soar twenty-eight metres above the water’s surface. When designing this artistic structure, Eliasson carefully chose materials and shapes that would reflect the shimmering surface and adapt with the ebb and flow of the tides. While not noticeable at first sight, one remarkable feature of Fjord House – which speaks of Eliasson’s artistic background – is the imaginative use of classic Danish brick.
From afar, the brick appears to create a pristine surface but upon closer inspection, the differing shapes and irregular staggering of the bricks’ depth reveals a lively, organic façade. The entire building also incorporates fifteen different tones of unglazed brick, as well as additional colours of glazed brick around the carved arches – green shades rise from the bottom to reflect the water while blue shades descend from the top to mirror the sky.
The double-height ground floor of Fjord House is open to the public and accessible from the mainland via a footbridge or jetty designed by the landscape architect, Günther Vogt. Two aqueous zones on the ground floor are complemented by Eliassons’ original artworks and provide the public with a valuable opportunity to immerse themselves in the surrounding natural beauty.
Occupying the three upper levels of Fjord House is the KIRK KAPITAL offices. A green roof with vegetation and solar panels is also perched atop the building. As the sun sets across the water, Fjord House resembles a lighthouse, lit from within by a collection of LED bulbs.
As a city of natural and industrial urban contexts, Eliasson and his team wanted to pay tribute to Vejle’s cultural history and provide a sanctuary not just for today’s generation but also for generations to come.