Transforming iconic power plant into a new Museum of Science & Technology

Built in 1953, Svanemølleværket is considered one of Copenhagen’s most iconic industrial buildings of the 20th century. To be working with the transformation of this grand power plant is every architect’s dream. Together with the English exhibition design experts Casson Mann, we are now taking the first steps towards bringing this significant building into a new architectural era and transforming it into a cultural destination, that still pays respect for the building’s architectural values.

“The fact that we need to transform Svanemølleværket’s gigantic and enticing scale into a space, which is suited for housing the marvelous collection of the National Museum of Science and Technology, makes this project so extraordinarily fantastic. The setting is majestic and sensitive at the same time and the building’s play on scale acts as a very exciting creative obstruction,” Dorte Mandrup elaborates.

Exhibition design capacity

The concept for the new museum will be developed in collaboration with English Casson Mann, one of Europe’s leading interpretative design practices. Their portfolio of museum and exhibition projects include the Science Museum and the V&A in London and the Frost Museum of Science in Miami just to name a few.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to be leading the design team – and to envision what a new national science and technology museum for Denmark could be, most especially in this iconic building. The building is such a powerful symbol of old energy, totally at odds with the direction we need to take in the future, and, inside, its vast internal volumes offer extraordinary drama but little human scale. We know we need to repurpose and re-energize it. It's a superb challenge,” Roger Mann, Creative Director of Casson Mann states.

The Danish Museum of Science & Technology has been located in Elsinore since 1965, but according to plan the museum will return to the Danish capital in 2023.

The new Museum of Science & Technology is initiated by the Building and Development Foundation DTM 4.0 counting leading members of the Confederation of Danish Industry and Håndværkerforeningen København. The project is supported by The Danish Industry Foundation.

Images by By&Havn, Peter Sørensen, Ole Malling