Rebildporten

The RebildPorten visitor’s centre establishes a new en- trance to the characteristic rolling landscape of Rebild Hills and Rold Forest – one of the most popular tourist des- tinations in northern Denmark.

Up until now the entrance to this unique nature reserve and national park has only been marked by a series of red wooden gates. Back in 2012 Danish studio CEBRA won the competition to design a new visitor’s centre. The task was to create a gateway to the cultural history and nature expe- riences in these beautiful surroundings – a gathering point that informs, inspires and activates the many visitors.

The winning project’s distinctive expression and character are derived directly from Nature’s own formal language and elements, which makes the building stand out from its surroundings and blend in with nature’s scenery at one and the same time.

The centre is designed as a hymn to Nature and the hills and forest, next to which it is situated. It is created in the encounter of building and nature and appears as a sculp- tural structure made of bluff timber.

The building gradually opens itself to the approaching visi- tors through the transparent facade – similar to the way a forest opens and closes when one moves through it, looking upwards through the branches’ chaotic network of crossing lines.

By shaping the building out of raw cut timber, the visitor not only experiences a ‘walk in the forest’, but also the scent of wood and nature, which sets the mood for the visit to the forest and hills.

With its location between Rebildhus and The Fiddler’s Mu- seum, the building stands out from its surroundings as a place of significance – a small piece of stylised forest pro- jected out into the built environment.

CommuniCation and guiding
Rebild Hills and Rold Forest are centrally located in North- ern Jutland and attract approx. 400.000 visitors a year. The visitor’s centre is the gateway to this area, acting both as a key to information and inspiration and as a ‘Chinese box’ where experiences are folded out continuously and new layers are added.

ReboldPorten is the visitor’s window to the unique nature, history and the many activities in the area. At the same time, it aims at contributing to the creation of synergy and a collective identity in a strong and lively local environ- ment with a variety of committed parties.

Thus, communication and guiding becomes a crucial fac- tor for the project’s ability to function as both usable and recognisable gathering point. The project incorporates an overall concept and appearance for communication and presentation, where key design elements ensure recognis- ability, whether you find yourself in virtual space, out in nature or in the building itself.

The building’s distinct characteristic – the ‘graphic’ strength of the timber’s structure and the visual reference to trees and branches – acts as a matrix for logos, com- munication elements, media, guiding landscape elements etc., in order to create an appearance and a guiding con- cept, which tie landscape, building and user experience to- gether in one consecutive narrative.