The Crystal at the Biennale in Venice
The Crystal at the Biennale in Venice
Schmidt Hammer Lassen - SHL
Under the heading ”Urban Questions – Copenhagen Answers” the Danish pavilion, curated by Danish Architecture Centre (DAC), focuses on Copenhagen as a city which provides answers to some of the urban challenges of the world. The Crystal, the new sculptural building for the mortgage bank Nykredit located on the Copenhagen harbour front has been selected by DAC as one of these architectural answers.
Some of Copenhagen’s most remarkable new buildings such as The Crystal will be exhibited on a catwalk broaching the theme: How many masterpieces does a city need?
The Crystal, schmidt hammer lassen architects’ contribution to the Danish pavilion on the 12th International Architecture Biennale, is an extension to the head office of Nykredit. It consists of a new building, The Crystal, and a beautiful open square, The Sky, on a triangular site close to the old city of Copenhagen. In essence, The Crystal consists of a large three-dimensional structure which at the same time constitutes the walls, floors, stories and roof of the building. The structure is clad in a glass façade and metal roofing which make it appear as a sharply cut crystal resting on a single line and a single point. The Crystal integrates with the city by offering a see-through view beneath major parts of the building, as the bottom floor is lifted from the ground and resting on three points. Aside from lending itself to the city, the Crystal also contains a multitude of sustainable elements such as solar energy, recycling of rainwater, three-layer glass facades and natural ventilation throughout the building as well as a seawater heat exchanger using water from the harbour to cool the air in the building.
The official Danish contribution to the 12th International Architectural Biennale in Venice is curated and produced by Danish Architecture Centre and sponsored by The Danish Ministry of Culture, Realdania, The National Art Foundation, City & Harbour, Carlsberg and Copenhagen X. The opening of the Danish pavilion takes place on August 27 2010, while the 12th International Architectural Biennale in Venice, curated by Kazuyo Sejima, will start on August 29. Under the title “People meet in architecture” the Biennale runs until November 21 2010.
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