[Wind]scapes : Engaging the shifting nature of the wind formed landscapes of Denmark

Abstract

Unlike the other natural elements like water, wind has been little explored in architecture for its physical and sensory qualities. Design considerations have been limited to mitigating damage or harnessing an energy source, typically overlooking the experiential qualities of wind. This thesis proposes that architecture has the potential to reveal the complex nature of this natural force by tracing the evolution of wind through studying the built constructions and their corresponding material landscapes. What emerged was a methodology that uses architectures key components of structure, material and physical experience to reveal an invisible force. The resulting design engages the shifting ground plane of an extreme [wind]scape, to heighten a visitor’s understanding of the evolution of the landscape over time and enhance a personal experience with wind as a force. Through the eroding site of Rubjerg Knude, on the northwest coast of Denmark, architecture’s stationary nature is used as a datum to measure and reveal the progression of the landscape both long term, on a geological level, as well as more immediately in its daily fluctuations. This thesis attempts to establish a relationship between wind landscapes and the architecture placed within them. The introduction of an intervention does not aim to maintain the environment as is but acknowledges that by inserting this intervention into the landscape, it will inherently result in changes to the patterns of the site. However, the possibilities of how the environment will respond to human intervention is equally compelling and unforeseen.