New Norway whale museum boasts novel façade

Building looks like a giant tail rising from the sea

Norway is set to open a striking new whale museum on the island of Andøya, where its dramatic architecture is designed to resemble a giant whale diving into the ocean.

Called The Whale, the new knowledge and experience centre is being built in the village of Andenes, on the northern Norwegian island. Designed by Danish architecture firm Dorte Mandrup, the building is expected to open to visitors on June 4, 2027.

The museum's most distinctive feature is its enormous undulating concrete roof, which rises from the rugged landscape like the tail of a whale disappearing beneath the water. The design was created to blend into the surrounding coastal environment rather than dominate it.

Dorte Mandrup won an international competition to design the project in 2019. The firm's approach was based on creating a low, horizontal building that echoes the natural curves of the landscape and keeps the focus on the horizon and the surrounding ocean.

The roof is formed from a single curved concrete shell supported at three points. This unusual structure allows the main interior to remain free of columns, creating a large open exhibition space.

The roof will also be covered with natural, unworked stones collected from the surrounding area. Visitors will be able to walk across the rooftop and use it as a viewing platform overlooking the archipelago, with views that can also include the Northern Lights.

Inside, the building continues its connection with the landscape. The floor rises and falls with the terrain outside, while rocks from the site are incorporated directly into parts of the interior.

A continuous curved glass façade faces the ocean and archipelago, allowing visitors to remain visually connected with the surrounding landscape as they move through the building.