11 years in the making, Danish architectural design has outdone itself once again with this incredible wave-shaped apartment community. Appropriately named Bølgen (Danish for “The Wave”), this daring new structure is fast becoming one of Europe’s most outstanding, modern buildings and a famous local landmark to boot.
The Wave in Vejle The accomplished Danish architecture firm Henning Larsen recently finished the structure in picturesque Vejle, Denmark. Situated by the Skyttehus Bay, this nine-story, landscape-inspired complex is a five wave-shaped apartment complex which seems to crest upward like a tsunami.
Online sources claim the 150,000-square-foot project includes anywhere between 100 and 140 apartments. However, Aaron Hathaway, Press & Content intern for the architectural firm confirmed via personal email that “The Wave has 100 apartments between its five towers.”
Inspiration and the art The project was originally inspired by the famous Sydney Opera House designed by famous Danish architect Jørn Utzon as well as the town’s distinctive characteristics which include the hills, the bridge, the open, public pier, and the nearby fjord.
The unique, multi-towered building makes an obvious and outstandingly artistic connection between the sea and the residential area, the natural landscape and the town itself. Veteran visitors report that The Wave makes an attractive reflection on the surface of the water, and is an interesting sight to travelers strolling around the area.
Architectural origins, trials, and tribulations This amazing building has been in the works for a long time. In fact, the architects won a competition to design a new apartment community in Vejle for the client, the local real estate business Bertel Nielsen in 2005. The Wave’s construction commenced in 2006.
Unfortunately, following the completion of just two of the towers, work was stopped in 2009 due to financial issues caused by the global recession.
They would not be able to resume construction and work on the final three waves until 2015. The ambitious project would not be officially completed until last month. With the final trio of towers completed, Henning Larsen’s original eye-catching vision is now finally complete.
The apartment complex’ five quickly iconic crests rise high above the Vejle Fjord. The Wave has already been deemed both a tribute to architectural inventiveness and to Vejle’s geographical and historical elements.
Critical acclaim for The Wave International critics and others in the architectural “know,” were praising this project even prior to its completion. The Wave has already earned a number of different awards.
The Danish trade magazine, Byggeri, named the first two towers the “Residential Building of the Year” in 2009. In 2010 both Henning Larsen Architects and The Wave scored an ABB LEAF (Leading European Architects Forum) in the category of “multiple occupancy.” It also won a Vejle Award that same year for “Building of the Year.”
The following year the still incomplete building garnered the Civic Trust Award. It was the first time in over half a century that a Danish architect received the English architectural honor. The already ground-breaking Wave won another LEAF Award (for innovative architecture) in 2012.
