Culture Island, Middelfart

Middelfart Council together with private invenstors created KulturØen (Island of Culture). KulturØen combines a tourist information, a restaurant and a cinema with the library and is build in a recreative harbour area.

The town of Middelfart is an old habour city placed on the island of Fyn (Funen). From Middelfart you can see the bridges that connect the Danish peninsula Jylland with the island of Fyn over the Lillebælt strait. The building is placed alone on an open space in the harbour surrounded by yachts.

Title of library in local language

KulturØen, Middelfart Bibliotek

Year of completion

2000

Address

Kulturøen
Havnegade 6
DK-5500 Middelfart
Denmark

Size of library:

2500m²

Category of library

Public Library

More info on the building

http://www.middelfartbibliotek.dk/Defaul…

Awards and recommended reading

The Culture Island in Middelfart
Living architecture : architecture & design from Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden
Photos: Per Nagel, Text: Vibe Udsen
2006, No. 20, page 74-89.

KulturØen i Middelfart
Photos: Mads Flummer ; Text: Peter Storm ; English translation: Barnabas Wetton.
Middelfart, Middelfart Kommune : KulturØen, 2006.
ISBN 87-987476-7-3

Architectural idea or principle

The architect of the building is John Lassen from “Schmidt, Hammer and Lassen”. He got the idea of placing the building on an island surrounded by the marina. The outside of the building is clad with prepatinated zinc. The outside is a sculptural shape with huge windows that lets in the light. The Building is split in two boat-like shaped figures and is two stories high. The organic shapes are closely related to the boats, sails and the surrounding harbour.
Head designer Lars Vejen – also from from “Schmidt, Hammer and Lassen” - has designed the inside of the library. The shelves in the middle of the room are black and the surrounding walls are white. This combination allows the colourful books to dominate the central part of the room and still enhance the view of the harbour. The furniture is green to brighten up the black and white and the floors are grey specked linoleum to give the ambiance of a meditative room.