KIRK KAPITAL A/S by Eliasson

The development consists of:
– The new headquarters for KIRK KAPITAL A/S, designed by Olafur Eliasson
– A new island, Harbour Island, with twelve buildings for housing and commercial use
– A new marina by Vejle Municipality

The masterplan proposal for Harbour Island in Vejle has been developed in a collaboration between Studio Olafur Eliasson, Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitekter and Vogt Landscape Architects, based on plans conceived by Vejle Municipality to create an active connection between the city centre of Vejle and Vejle Fjord.

The new KIRK KAPITAL A/S headquarters are placed in the marina just south of Harbour Island. The building will contain a publicly accessible ground floor with a café and an exhibition space, as well as commercial leases and the headquarters for KIRK KAPITAL A/S on the upper floors. Expected completion date: 2016.

"The expansion of the area offers unique possibilities to create a different urban space with recreational spaces, commerce and culture, says CEO Bjarne Ammitzbøll, KIRK KAPITAL A/S. "We contacted Olafur Eliasson because he works with space and the relationship between buildings, cityscape and users. We are convinced that the building is going to be an architectural landmark in both a Danish and international context and will contribute positively to the development in the area."

Olafur Eliasson: "To me designing a house is like conceiving an exhibition. In a museum my work not only involves the placement of the artworks. It also includes taking the surrounding spaces—with which the artworks converse—into consideration, says Olafur Eliasson. "The process of conceiving the new building for KIRK KAPITAL A/S has in many ways been fantastic, not least because I have been given the chance to explore both different sculptural qualities and the relationship between individual and collective experiences of space in an explicitly architectural context".

The Mayor of Vejle, Arne Sigtenbjerggaard about the project: "It is a fantastic building which KIRK KAPITAL A/S has now begun and we are very happy about the collaboration. Olafur Eliasson has designed a unique building for Vejle Harbour. I am certain that it will be an iconic building drawing attention from all over the world," says Arne Sigtenbjerggaard and continues: "This project gives us a beautiful and exciting part of the city—rich in atmosphere—where the entrance to Vejle Harbour lends a view to the sail boats at the floating bridges and our commercial harbour."