Disappearing Lighthouse Renovation in Denmark by JAJA Architects + Bessards’ Studio.

Ferocious pounding storms constantly move and shape the dune landscape on the northwest coast of Denmark. In 1968 an enormous sand dune devoured Rubjerg Knude Ligthouse, leaving the tower as the only remaining structure, poised on the edge of the rapidly eroding cliff. The lighthouse was reopened earlier this year and retrofitted with an architectural installation, giving the public the last chance to enjoy the unique vistas and wild dynamic spectacle of nature from the top of the lighthouse.

BESSARDs’ STUDIO and JAJA Architects designed a scenographic stairway, giving access to the tower and making the ascent a sequence of architectural experiences. Celebrating its historic function as a beacon for the seafarers, the designers inserted a gigantic wind-powered kaleidoscope at the peak of the lighthouse. The mirrored installation captures natural light and reflection, sending it inwards to create an ever-changing cascade of colours and glimpses of the sea and surrounding landscape. The kaleidoscope also functions as the structural element around which the stair wraps itself. The triangular shape of the kaleidoscope in combination with the perforated and transparent stair create a playful interaction with the square geometry of the lighthouse, thereby staging a unique experience of the vertical space, which stretches between the earth and the sky.

The material palette is devised as a variation of a single material – steel. Rusted, mirror polished, bent, perforated, welded and carefully assembled pieces of steel elements all form part of the monolith inside the lighthouse. The material choice provides a visual and tactile experience, reacting to the extreme meteorological properties of the site that stimulate an ageing process, gradually merging the kaleidoscope together with the historic lighthouse.

According to geological surveys, the lighthouse will be taken by the sea within the next 2 to 15 years. Nobody knows exactly when the tower will fall, but when it does, the project will be entirely disassembled and – thanks to the way it’s been constructed – it will be completely removed and recycled.

The revitalisation of Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse is part of a nation-wide initiative of architectural interventions that seek to invite the public to experience the most unique and remarkable areas of the Danish landscape. Rubjerg Knude transformation was commissioned by Realdania Foundation, The Danish Nature Agency and Hjørring Municipality.

[Photography © Hampus Per Berndtson.]