Black-metal panels and shutters bring an "aura of mystique" to the Cold War Museum Regan Vest in Denmark, designed by architecture studio AART.
The museum is located on the site of Regan Vest, a hidden Cold War-era bunker that was secretly built 60 metres below northern Jutland's Rold Forest.
AART has completed the Cold War Museum Regan Vest in Denmark
In the event of nuclear war, the bunker is where both the Danish government and monarch would have been evacuated. Its existence was only revealed in 2012.
The structure opened to the public as a museum in 2023 and the building by Aarhus-based AART provides a cafe and additional exhibition space exploring Denmark's history during the Cold War.
Cold War Museum Regan Vest comprises four blocks Aiming to capture the secretive nature of this bunker, AART clad the four blocks of Cold War Museum Regan Vest in black-coated steel panels. These are intended to weather and turn rusty red over time, eventually mimicking the worn appearance of the bunker.
"The architectural solution presents four matte-black boxes, each a deliberate abstraction that guards the secrets within and behind," AART partners Anders Tyrrestrup and Nicolaj Thunbo told Dezeen.
Black-coated steel panels are used across the exterior
"This approach piques visitor curiosity from the moment of arrival, framing the experience with an aura of mystique and historical gravitas," they added.
"These enigmatic volumes integrate seamlessly in...