Statens Museum For Kunst

As a subcontractor to landscape gardener Ebbe Dahlsgaard, we have developed and built the water art on the forecourt of the National Gallery of Denmark. The new forecourt is the result of an architectural competition announced by the City of Copenhagen. The competition was won by the architectural group Polyform. A grant from Annie and Otto Johs. Detlefs Almennyttige Fond made it possible to realize the project.

The water element consists of a round reflecting pool approximately 30 m in diameter and 20 cm deep, designed so that children can sail model ships in the pool. As something new in Denmark, the basin has an overflow, which is designed as a vanishing point. The hole is Ø110 cm, and you cannot see down the hole. Tests have been carried out in our water laboratory, in full size of this drain, to get the right sound and the right flow.

There is also a 16m tall, slender jet that can be lit on special occasions. The pool is designed so that when empty it can function as a stage for shows and events. It is the same 225 m3 of water that circulates around the basin, of which 50 m3 is cleaned every hour.