The village of Andenes, 300 kilometers from the Arctic Circle, is on the Norwegian island of Andøya, in an area frequented by whales on their migratory journeys. Here the Danish studio Dorte Mandrup will be building a seaside viewpoint for watching whales, having won an international competition over firms like Snøhetta, BIG, and Reiulf Ramstad.

Blending into the scenery, the facility forms a smooth rocky hill. Under the passable curved stone roof, large windows give vistas of the surroundings from a column-free hall that accommodates exhibitions, offices, a cafeteria, and a store.

The Whale, as the center will be called, is to open in 2022, and in designing it Dorte Mandrup has worked with Marianne Levinsen Landskab, JAC Studio, Thornton Tomasetti, AT Plan & Arkitektur, Nils Øien, and Anders Kold.