Whirlpool Aquariums

The new Denmark Aquarium, scheduled to open in 2013, is going to be designed by Danish architectural firm 3XN. The company was the recent winner of the competition to design 'The Blue Planet.' Located in Copenhagen, the structure's site is on the coast of Øresund, the strait that flows between the Danish island of Zealand and Sweden.

Giving the impression of a pinwheel from the air, 3XNs proposal is named 'Whirlpool'.

According to Bustler, "the roof above the foyer is made of glass, and at the same time it is the bottom of a pool. High above, through the pool water, you can see the sky with sunlight being reflected in the water and forming flickering, shimmering sunspots on the floor and walls of this light."

The building radiates out from a centre 'Round Room' where visitors decide, “which river, lake or ocean to explore.”

Principal of 3XN, Kim Herforth Nielsen explains, “We wanted to stage a totality of the experience one has visiting an aquarium. The starting point was this magnificent experience of actually watching fish in their element. We wanted to create that adventurous feeling, and we took inspiration in the natural phenomenon of the whirlpool or maelstrom drawing you into the deep. A sculpture at the coast it unites the natural elements of water, air and earth.”

It's interesting how the illustrations show the structure during stormy weather under dark swirling clouds and in driving rain, further enhancing the 'maelstrom' experience.