BIG, led by architect Bjarke Ingels, has unveiled the design for a ‘Museum for Paper Arts’ in North Jutland, Denmark. The space will celebrate Denmark’s long-standing paper art tradition, with a roof that appears to gently flap and bend like a sheet of paper. Denmark‘s paper art heritage, known for inspiring Le Klint’s foldable lamps and Hans Christian Andersen‘s intricate paper creations, represents a thriving cultural legacy. Reflecting this spirit, the museum’s new space will be created by repurposing an existing building.
Since its establishment by paper artist Bit Vejle in 2018, the museum has aimed to share this art form with a wider audience and prepare it for the future. The 900m² building, formerly home to the supermarket chain Aldi, will be expanded to 2,300m², crowned by a large roof. The roof covers the entire site, connecting the existing and new buildings as well as the public space around them. Under the simple design concept of a single sheet of paper, the old and new structures are seamlessly unified. Inside, workshops, event spaces, educational areas, storage, and offices are carefully arranged.
Instead of fully enclosing the space with a roof, sunlight streams through the glass panels surrounding the building‘s elevations. This natural light enhances the white brick and wood-finished interiors, creating a bright and welcoming atmosphere. The walls of the original building will be covered with paper layers featuring acoustic properties, crafted in collaboration with paper artists.
Bjarke Ingels explained the unveiled design as follows: “Paper art is about creating three-dimensional shapes and complex images from a monochromatic two-dimensional material – a sheet of paper. By treating the roof surface as such – a single sheet of folded paper – existing and new functions are brought together in one unifying gesture. The expressive design is accentuated by clarity, and complexity arises from simplicity. An obsolete supermarket finds new life under the floating curved roof.”
Surrounding the museum, walking paths will be landscaped with native plants and trees from North Jutland. Visitors will naturally be guided along a welcoming path to the museum, where they can immerse themselves in vibrant cultural activities and the captivating world of paper art.
Project: Museum for papirkunst / Location: Hune, Denmark / Architect: BIG / Partner in charge: Bjarke Ingels, David Zahle / Project Leader: Tomas Ramstrand / Project team: Mantas Povilaika, Neele Maree Ohlrogge, Jesper Ullbing, Matthew Goodwill, Kai-Brith Kalda / BIG Sustainability: Kannan Selvaraj / Client: Den Almennyttige Fond for saligrafisk Kunst / Size: 2,300m² / Photograph: Courtesy of the architect
