Middelfart Culture Island

The Culture Island in Middelfart, Denmark, is a gleaming, characterful presence on a newly created island off the Middelfart waterfront. The circle described by the island and marina contrasts with the rectangularity of the landward side. The building's dynamic form responds to the uniqueness of its location on the waterfront. Via its extensive glazed sections, the arts and community complex opens out onto the water while the vertically slit, zinc façades enclose the interior spaces, creating tranquillity and intimacy. A cleft splits the complex into two: a double-height foyer space lit from above with a rooflight that affords a glimpse of the sky. On one side is the library, and on the other the tourist information office, a cinema and a restaurant. Both sides command views across the Little Belt. The arts and community centre's trapezoidal forms and curvilinear surfaces are an interpretation of sea and sails.