FLUGT Refugee Museum in Denmark by BIG - Photo by Rasmus Hjortshøj, courtesy of BIG.

FLUGT Refugee Museum in Denmark by BIG – Photos by Rasmus Hjortshøj, courtesy of BIG.

Architecture – At its peak, the Oksbøl camp became Denmark’s fifth-largest city. Today, little of it remains, but “the story of arriving at the doorstep of a new country is as relevant as ever.” BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group told Archipanic. The new 1,600 sqm FLUGT museum “gives a voice and a face to refugees worldwide and captures the universal challenges, emotions, spirit and stories shared by displaced humans.”

FLUGT Refugee Museum in Denmark by BIG - Photo by Rasmus Hjortshøj, courtesy of BIG.

FLUGT is BIG’s second museum for Vardemuseerne, a local institution dedicated to archaeology, dissemination, and collection of historical knowledge about the region. BIG has connected two remaining structures of the former hospital architecturally and historically by adding a soft curve-shaped volume which brings 500 sqm of additional space. The curve is gently pulled towards the street to create an inviting arrival moment for the museum visitors.

FLUGT Refugee Museum in Denmark by BIG - Photo by Rasmus Hjortshøj, courtesy of BIG.

Clad in Corten steel, the structure feels at home along with the red bricks of the former hospital buildings. From the outside, the abstract volume welcomes visitors into what appears to be a closed entry hall. Upon entering, a floor-to-ceiling curved glass wall reveals a view of a sheltered green courtyard and the forest where the refugee camp used to be.

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The courtyard lets light flow into the entry hall that functions as a lobby or a temporary exhibition space for guests to experience before continuing their journey into one of the museum wings. Designed by BIG Landscape, it creates a peaceful sensory experience inside the museum as well as outside. At its center is a small mirror pool reflecting the sky. Around the basin, heath planting known from the region emphasizes the identity of the area.

FLUGT Refugee Museum in Denmark by BIG - Photo by Rasmus Hjortshøj, courtesy of BIG.

The exhibition area in the north wing contains gallery spaces organized according to the original flow/circulation in the hospital. While most hospital room walls were torn down, some of the inside walls are kept intact and stabilized by three cross-sections, creating larger exhibition spaces.

FLUGT Refugee Museum in Denmark by BIG - Photo by Rasmus Hjortshøj, courtesy of BIG.

The south wing features a flexible conference room, smaller exhibition spaces, a cafe, and back-of-house functions with the same character and materiality as in the north wing. White walls and intersections covered in white painted wood boards are oriented according to the angle ceiling line, as well as yellow bricks across the entire museum floor, connecting past and present structures.

FLUGT Refugee Museum in Denmark by BIG - Photo by Rasmus Hjortshøj, courtesy of BIG.

In addition to preserving and reusing the hospital buildings for historical value, extending the lifespan of the existing structures supports BIG’s mission of reducing waste, conserving resources, and creating a smaller carbon footprint as it relates to materials manufacturing and transport.

FLUGT Refugee Museum in Denmark by BIG - Photo by Rasmus Hjortshøj, courtesy of BIG.

Photos by Rasmus Hjortshøj, courtesy of BIG.

FLUGT Refugee Museum in Denmark by BIG - Photo by Rasmus Hjortshøj, courtesy of BIG.