The design is based on a Toroidal geometry that offers several structural and functional benefits. Structurally, the lower center of gravity makes the habitat less vulnerable to lunar quakes and reduces the foundation requirements of the structure during shallow moonquakes, which though infrequent ( shallow moonquakes have been recorded in a span of eight years by the Apollo missions), are thought to have the most potential impact on lunar surface structures.
BIG was invited for a competition to design a Maritime museum inside the neighboring decommissioned dry-dock, where ships used to be built. Instead, BIG proposed to place the museum underground, just outside the wall of the dock in order to preserve the dock as an open, outdoor display, maintaining the powerful structure as the center of the Maritime Museum. By placing the museum this way, it appears as a discreet part of the cultural environment associated with the Kronborg Castle and the neighboring Culture Yard, while at the same time manifesting itself as an independent institution.
Trumpet is a fixture which accomodates many building services such as lighting, audio and ventilation. The subtle hyperbolic shape of Trumpet blends almost imperceptibly into the ceiling. The deeply recessed LED module provides lighting with minimal glare. With a specially developed surface with small laser-cut points, Trumpet creates an extremely homogeneous distribution of light. This versatility makes it ideal for use in offices.
A series of public programs simultaneously wrap the library on the outside and inside, above and below. Twisting the public program into a continuous spiraling path tracing the library on all sides, creates an architectural organization that combines the virtues of all complimenting models. Like a Möbius strip, the public programs move seamlessly from the inside to the outside and from ground to the sky providing spectacular views of the surrounding landscape and growing city skyline.
Since the infrastructure is the most important element, the rest of the program is integrated with it as much as possible. In order to create a physical interface, the elevated vacuum tube wraps around itself and descends as a gentle ramp, ending in an airlock that allows for save entry and exits for pods. While the pill shaped loop of the tube forms the exterior façade of the facility, the support structure gets extended towards the interior as a sequence of concrete frames with fileted corners for lateral support.