Stevns Klint is a cliff in the southeast of the Danish island of Zealand in the Baltic Sea. With its impressive limestone formations and rich fossil record, it was included in the UNESCO World Natural Heritage list in 2014. The directly adjacent Boesdal site was also formerly used as a quarry to extract the limestone as building material. Today, the quarry serves primarily as a cultural focal point.
Coming full circle with a visitor center
To tell the 66-million-year-old story of the limestone rocks, a visitor center is being built. It will not only teach tourists, students and other interested people about the natural and cultural history of the former Boesdal limestone quarry, but also serve as a portal to the other sights and attractions of Stevns Klint. Therefore, the choice of materials for the building was an important part of the overall concept.
The visitor center at Boesdal Kalkbrud will be 1,400 m² and built directly into a limestone hill, which will then be covered with earth and grass to blend in with the surrounding unique nature. The choice of Silka Calcium Silicate units for the interior walls and façade of the building is certainly no coincidence, but rather a way to continue the history of limestone and coming full circle.
"The building's interior walls and façade are clad in white, smooth Calcium Silicate brick with light mortar joints, so they look like Stevns Klint's own limestone. It combines the function of a visitor center with the history and aesthetics of the area," says Claus Johansen, project consultant at Xella Denmark.
Ready for the tourist season
The building's main contractor, CC Brun Entreprise A/S, is also pleased with the choice of materials, not only visually, but especially in terms of Silka's function and ease of installation. "During the construction of the walls and façade, we learned that Silka Calcium Silicate units are easy and flexible to work with. At the same time, the bricks are very fine and fit well with the building and the terrain here, so we are looking forward to showing the finished result," says site manager Abed El Aziz Ali Ajoui of CC Brun Entreprise A/S.t