Danish architects Lundgaard & Tranberg have won a competition to design a $30 million renovation of the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, eastern Denmark. The company won the award, beating out strong competitors such as CF Møller, Foster + Partners and Snøhetta.
The Roskilde Viking Ship Museum originally opened in 1969 to house five 1,000-year-old longboats. These date from the late Viking Age and were discovered in Roskilde Fjord 60 years ago.
Lundgaard & Tranberg is proposing a new wood museum building. This will be a modest design that “humbly steps aside to give space to the dramatic nature around the fjord and all the activities the Viking Ship Museum already has,” the paper said. Structural details of the building will also be left exposed in a way that mirrors the ribs of the dragon boat.
The existing Ship Hall structure will be retained but rebuilt with the aim of making the museum more open and attractive to visitors.
Denmark’s Minister of Culture, Jacob Engel Schmidt, said: “Recently very bad weather has once again highlighted the need for a new environment for the Viking ships in Roskilde.”
“It is really good news that the project has taken this important step forward, because in the future we will cherish the unique cultural heritage that these ships represent and the public will be able to see important parts of our history.” We need to display ships so people can learn about the period.”
Architect Marlene Hjørzo Kindesen from Lundgaard & Trehnberg said: “During Viking times, Roskilde Fjord connected the town to the Seven Seas. It was vital for us that the new museum building contributed to making visitors aware of that connection.”