Sculpture Shed


Located in a walled courtyard in the middle of Copenhagen, the small site of the Sculptors Garden had been neglected for many years. In association with the Royal Danish Fine Arts Sculpture School, a new garden and sculpture shed was called for to cater for the needs of the art students and staff of the college.


Design Response


Building on the rich history of the area, the pavilion and planting creates a hidden oasis, a secret garden in the middle of an urban city. The school housed an abudance of stone sculpted fragments from a previous parliament building which had burnt down.  Here, the garden was encouraged to grow in an unrestrained manner to act as the artistic counterpoint to the scattered sculptural fragments.


The shed was designed as a lightweight timber building comprised of thin timber members to enhance the ephemeral nature of the building, allowing vines to grow over and around the building. The result is a romantic overgrown garden punctuated with small ruins and places to reflect.



Status: Completed, 2001

Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

Architect: Matt Day with Fogh & Følner Arkitektfirma A/S

Client: Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts