CASE STUDY: DANISH MARITIME MUSEUM

ADAPTIVE REUSE CASE STUDY

LOCATION: Ny Kronborgvej 1, 3000 Helsingr, Denmark

YEAR OF CONSTRUCTION:1915
YEAR OF RESTORATION:2013
INITIAL PURPOSE OF THE SPACE: (1915) Danish trade and shipping centre
USE POST RESTORATION: Dry dock as galleries, theatre room and cultural
space
ARCHITECT: BIG (Bjarke Ingles Group)
SITE AND SITE CONTEXT: -
 It was completed in October of 2013. The newly opened Danish
maritime museum stands as a unique reflection of Denmark’s historical
and contemporary role as a leading maritime nation.
 The 6,000 m² museum located adjacent to one of Denmark’s most
important buildings, Kronborg castle which dates to fifteenth century,
(which was identified as a UNESCO world heritage site in the year 2000),
is the last addition to kulturhavn Kronborg, a joint effort involving the
renovation of the Kronborg castle and development of its surrounding
area to bring cultural attractions to Helsingr’s harbour
 The Danish dock is an example of an abandoned shipyard that has lost
its function and is in a delipidated condition.
 By repurposing the shipyard, the site has become publicly accessible
making abandoned dock as a central exhibit in this historically important
site.
  The Museum showcases the history of the Danish maritime trade, which
at one point was at its peak and now the dock stands as an example of
changes on seafaring inflicted by the industrial revolution.
 The museum acts a cultural hub in the region it hosts variety of public
outdoor activities, exhibitions, and events throughout the year.
The museum demonstrates injects new urban life forms into the heart of
the city that had lost its former industries and was forgetting its past.

ORIGINAL CONDITION OF STRUCTURE BEFORE REPOURPOSING

Originally the dock laid in a state of neglect in a decayed post-industrial
landscape. though the wall of the dry dock was still in good shape, the water in
the dock had become polluted with oil, chemical and scrape metal, and other
ancillary buildings, shed and cranes were also in dilapidated condition, later
these additional buildings were demolished
ADAPTIVE REUSE STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES
• The museum was constructed around the 60 years old concrete dry dock
walls previously used by the harbour for shipbuilding and maintenance works.
The original 2.5m thick floor and 1.5m thick concrete walls of the old dry dock
were preserved and careful cutting and reassembling the museum facilities
were constructed
• For building the museum the water in the dock along with all the soil around
the flooded dock was excavated to prevent ground water seepage to concrete
floor of the dock.
• With the help of anchors drilled through the slab the structure was pinned in
place and then slurry wall was built around the perimeter to help drain and
excavate the site.
• The entire site had to go through deep sanitation and the structure had to be
completely repolished to cleanse the area contaminated by polluted water, to
make it functional and reusable again.
• Retention wall was added to hold back the water entering from sea, a
coating of waterproofing layer was placed on dry dock surface to protect the
interior of the museum
• New foundation around the dry docks was made to support the
underground construction.
• Difference in material of the existing and new structure is clearly visible, the
balanced contrast between rough weathered concrete of the existing dock and
new sleek polished material of the museum brings forth an interesting
aesthetic.
• Lighter weight aluminium clad bridges were used to lessen the impact on the
existing structure. These bridges contain auditorium, gallery and a café
overlooking the dock.
The design development laid a strong emphasis on preserving the values of the
old dock.
THE HERITAGE VALUES from the initiation of project design stage was
integrated into the design brief, focusing mainly on the material and the
morphology of the building. Heavy focus was put on making the heritage of the
shipyard visible throughout the redesign.
Thus, the new building was designed to be open to the public, which functions
like a museum, café, and public assembly place. The experience of the dry-
dock and its surroundings was regarded as most valuable and thus the design
was to mainly retain the experience.
THE CULTURAL VALUES were keenly preserved, and the end design was such
that it helps people understand the cultural significance of Danish Maritimes,
even in today's context.
EXTERIOR - The concept of underground museum structure was proposed
which goes two floors (approx. 7m) below the ground level. The staircase at
the rear end of the dock takes visitors directly to the lowermost level where
the floor space is kept open to make people experience the gigantic scale of
shipbuilding. The zigzag bridges while navigating people downwards in a spiral
connects the main parts of the museum exhibition spaces, the auditorium,
classroom, offices, café, and the dock floor. INTERIOR - In the design of interior
spaces a modern approach was taken with the use of materials such as glass,
steel, and wood. The continuous strip of light along the bridges help navigate
the visitors towards the interior spaces and creates a unique contemporary
ambience.
 CASE STUDY: THE OMANI FRENCH MUSEUM

LOCATION: The Omani French Museum is a heritage museum located in the

former residence of the French Consul, Bait Faransa on Lane 9310, Qasr Al
Alam Street, in Old Muscat, Oman.

USE/FUNCTION: Museum

ABOUT:
 The white building, which was essentially a palace, was initially
established as a present by the Sultan Assayed / Faisal bin Turki to the
French Consul in Muscat in 1896.
 On January 29, 1992, Sultan Qaboos bin Said and the late French
President François Mitterrand established a museum in the palace to
preserve the historical Omani-French relations.
 The museum has a substantial collection of items to this effect including
photographs of the early French diplomats, historical documents, Omani
- French ships, Omani and French costumes and jewellery and furniture.
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
 The Omani French relationship began in the 17th century, as French
ships carrying sugar and spices from the Indian Ocean islands met Omani
vessels at Mombasa, Kilwa and Zanzibar, therefore leading to the
architecture style involved.
 The original old small town of Muskat held a strategic commanding
position on the entrance to the Persian Gulf, therefore it was chosen for
its excellent harbour and natural defences.
 The name Muskat means "place of falling", referring to falling of anchor
chain (a reference to the harbour)

ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Grand Arabesque Design

 The house represented the traditional Omani architecture with some
influences from the pre-Islamic, Islamic, Persian, French and Portuguese.
 The building represents vernacular Omani architecture (the contrast of
details against massive solidity walls).
 References of vernacular Omani architecture
Example:
 Human structure
 Contrast of expressive details
 Decoration against the solidity of the rendered walls as military style
shaped by mudbrick. Crenelated (gaps for firing arrows) courtyards walls
and strong outer gates, that are all typical of old and new omani houses
with decorative elements tending to take second place to solid
defendable structures.

MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION:

Local materials:
 stone,
 mud brick,
 wood,
 lime and
 mud plaster
Construction:
  Designed around a central courtyard, the walls including the interior
ones, as are of massive thickness, up to at least 3 ft.
 The first floor was about twenty feet up and the roof another twenty
feet above that.
 Each room had a heavy wooden carved door-as one of the Omani
building details-set beneath a square carved wooden lintel.
 The tall wooden arches of the veranda were a reminder of the Chehel
Sutun in Isfahan (pavilion).

APPROACH TOWARDS RESTORATION:

Restoration Work: Requalifying

 To restore, to preserve, to repair, to reconstruct, to intervene, to
conserve, and to renovate.
 Some parts are renovated with care and detail of the building. The
details were recorded in photographs and diplomatic archives kept by
the French ministry of foreign affairs to help recreate the essential
features of the museum
 Walls and pillars were replaced with new ones. Three layers of sand
plastid were used with an iron mesh placed before the last layer of
acrylic paint
Problems:
 The walls are saturated with moisture which affected the safety,
rendering and paint due to the absence of waterproofing against
 underground water in the building stone foundations. Many cracks were
also observed in ceilings, walls, and pillars.
 The use of galvanized steel sheets and steel angles in columns, resulted
in iron corrosion which increases the iron thickness from 1 cm to 2.5 cm
and caused cracks in plaster.

Solution:
 Complete damp proofing from inside and outside of the foundations
beside ground flooring
 The partial treatment was approved to protect the walls from 50% to
70% of the penetrated water from the foundations. However, this
treatment requires yearly maintenance.
CASE STUDY: BHAU DAJI LAD MUSEUM
CONCLUSIONS AND REFERENCES
 RAJA DINKAR KELKAR MUSEUM, PUNE
 Located in the heart of Pune city, the then capital of the Deccan,
this museum the collection of Dr. Dinkar g. Kelkar (1896–1990),
dedicated to the memory of his only son, raja.
 The three-storey building houses various sculptures dating back to
the 14th century. 
 There are also ornaments made of ivory, silver and gold, musical
instruments (a particularly fine collection), war weapons and
vessels.
 The collection was started around 1920, and by 1960 it contained
around 15,000 objects.
 The museum was established in 1962, and Dr. Kelkar donated his
collection to the Government of Maharashtra in 1975.
 The museum now holds over 20,000 objects of which 2,500 are
kept on display. These consist of mainly Indian decorative items
from everyday life and other art objects, mostly from the 18th and
19th centuries.
 The museum's collection depicts the skills of the Indian artists of
the time, including the prominent works of Pandit Abhijeet Joshi.

Concept:
• Raised in the memories of his son ‘Raja’ who died an untimely
death the collection took shape.
• The building from outside is very simple but interiors give a
vernacular feeling.
• It is a wada construction with archways and corridors.
• A residential old Pune wada space converted into a museum.
• Total area: divided into 2 blocks, which are connected at 2 nd
floor.
1 st block- G + 3
2 nd block- G + 2

CURRENT STATE OF THE MUSEUM:

PROPOSED IDEA FOR CONSERVATION: