10 kmThe Vikings of Jelling
The UNESCO site provides a strong historical connection, with runestones, mounds and church gathered within a few steps.
Fjordenhus does not merely stand by Vejle Fjord but out in the water. You arrive via the bridge from Havneøen, and already here the building begins to change character: bricks, arches and openings frame the fjord, harbour and interior spaces in oblique views.
The public ground floor is the part you can experience on your own. Here, Olafur Eliasson's site-specific artworks interact with the building's form, light and water. In two rooms, the fjord's water runs through the building, making the boundary between architecture and surroundings very tangible.
The brickwork is a major part of the experience. The curved walls and openings mean that you do not simply stand and look at a façade; you move through a house where the view is cut into fragments of fjord, waterfront and brickwork.
Fjordenhus was designed by Olafur Eliasson and Studio Olafur Eliasson in collaboration with Sebastian Behmann and also serves as the headquarters of KIRK KAPITAL A/S. The upper floors are offices, while the open section is located at the bottom by the water. After dark, the building is lit from within and takes on a lighthouse-like appearance in the harbour setting.
The Wave is located by Skyttehusbugten as an architectural neighbor to Fjordenhus. Henning Larsen Architects shaped the residential building as five wave crests in nine storeys, with references to both Vejle Fjord and the unusually hilly landscape around the town.
The financial crisis halted the project when only two waves had been built; the last three were restarted in 2015, and construction was completed in 2018. From the promenade, the light, undulating shell, the balconies, and the fjord are reflected in the facade.
