Building Spotlight: The Whale in Andenes, Norway
A brief look at The Whale in Andenes, Norway, Dorte Mandrup’s curved coastal visitor center now under construction and opening in June 2027.
The Whale is a new knowledge and experience center taking shape in Andenes, at the northern tip of Andøya in Northern Norway. It has not been completed yet. Construction began in 2025, and the public opening is scheduled for June 4, 2027.
Designed by Copenhagen-based architect Dorte Mandrup, the project was selected through an international competition in 2019. Its low, curved roof rises from the rocky shoreline and can look like the back or tail of a whale. The design intent is broader than a literal animal shape: the building is meant to feel like part of the coastal terrain.
The sweeping roof bears on three main points, creating a broad, column-free exhibition space below. Stone covers the accessible roof, turning it into a public viewing platform over the Norwegian Sea. Large areas of glass keep the interior connected to the water, mountains and changing Arctic light.
The roughly 3,750-square-meter center will combine science, art and storytelling about whales, the ocean and the relationship between people and marine life. The program includes exhibitions, gathering spaces, a café, a store, offices and the walkable roof.
Sources: The Whale AS — https://thewhale.com/about and https://thewhale.com/our-story
Images: Dorte Mandrup, MIR and The Whale. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taket_2.jpeg and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taket.jpg
