There will be exhibition spaces, offices, a cafeteria, a shop, and many large windows that open towards the archipelago, but above all a shape that leaves no doubt about its inspiration. «The Whale», the latest project by the Danish architectural firm Dorte Mandrup, is an evident homage to the cetaceans that populate the Norwegian Sea, in front of Andenes, a town of 2600 souls in the municipality of Andøy, in the county of Nordland.
It will be inaugurated in 2022, and it will be yet another attraction on the coast thatowes much of its economy to the gigantic and wonderful cetaceans. Given the location found 300 kilometers north of the Arctic circle, it is one of the best places in the world for whale watching pilot, minke e sperm whales, from June to August, as well as in winter, orcas e humpback whales when they migrate through Vesterålen the fjords through the Lofoten archipelago, located further south.
Dorte Mandrup, already specialized in cultural buildings, was chosen over 37 international teams in a competition called to increase attractiveness in the area. Børre Berglund, CEO of The Whale AS and president of the examining jury, described it: «poetic and low-key and at the same time a very exciting and unusual building».