09/06/2026
This is architecture designed to feel less like a building and more like something emerging from the Arctic landscape.
Called The Whale, the new knowledge and experience centre is being built in Andenes, Northern Norway, roughly 300 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. The location is deliberate: Andenes is considered one of the world’s best places for year-round whale encounters.
The extraordinary roof was designed by Danish architect Dorte Mandrup. Rather than using a conventional flat structure supported by rows of pillars, the building uses a single curved concrete shell. Its parabolic geometry transfers the enormous forces toward just three main support points, creating a vast exhibition space without interior columns.
That sweeping roof isn’t just decorative. It is designed to use material efficiently, withstand the area’s harsh winds and reduce snow accumulation. It will be covered with natural local stone and visitors will actually be able to walk across it, turning the entire roof into a viewpoint overlooking the Norwegian Sea, mountains and surrounding islands.
Inside, huge windows will keep the ocean constantly visible while exhibitions combine marine science, art, sound and storytelling. Full-scale whale sculptures and exhibits will explore how whales communicate, migrate, feed and interact with the ocean ecosystem.
And despite how finished these renderings look, the museum is still under construction. The project is scheduled to open to the public in June 2027.
Perhaps the most beautiful part of the design is that the building doesn’t try to compete with the landscape. From a distance, its enormous curved roof almost disappears into it, somewhere between a hill, an ocean wave and the tail of a whale slipping beneath the surface.
Source: The Whale, Dorte Mandrup.
