EFFEKT and MAST have just revealed SØMÆRKET, a new access point to Nature Park Lillebælt in Denmark. Serving as the gateway to one of Denmark’s most protected coastal landscapes, the Little Belt strait, the design aims to strengthen the connections between the cities of Middlefart, Holding, and Fredericia. Renowned for having the world’s highest concentration of harbor porpoises and a rich diversity of flora and fauna, the Little Belt Strait is a popular destination for divers across Europe.
SØMÆRKET is inspired by historic seamarks, specifically ornate wooden structures once used as navigation aids along Denmark’s coasts in the late 19th century. This platform celebrates Danish maritime history while introducing a new typology of floating educational spaces, serving as a national park icon. The platform, moved by a tugboat between three locations along Little Belt, offers an immersive experience for school groups, tourists, and the public. Additionally, it provides new access points for kayaking, swimming, diving, and fishing, while allowing visitors to delve into the strait's natural and historical narratives.
Nature Park Lillebælt, bridging continental Jutland and the island of Funen, boasts a unique natural environment and history. SØMÆRKET aims to narrate this story through fossils, illustrations, and text integrated into the structure. It also includes an enclosed laboratory space for experiments and storytelling. Below the deck, an underwater room projects footage of the marine world onto raw concrete walls. The platform also offers direct engagement with the strait through features such as a kayak launch, a swimming platform, and an integrated seaweed and mussel farm.
The design connects future generations with the marine environment, serving as a floating landmark within the nature park. Its pyramidal structure rises 7 meters above the water, acting as a visual beacon from the harbors. The main deck, approximately 1.3 meters above sea level, is accessible via a small bridge, ensuring level-free access from the quayside.
The platform is built from robust locally sourced Douglas fir beams atop a reclaimed concrete barge that has seen multiple uses over the past 20 years, including as a floating house base and a temporary pavilion for the UIA architecture festival. This barge, saved from demolition, forms the foundation of SØMÆRKET.
SØMÆRKET was brought to life by EFFEKT in collaboration with MAST, a maritime architecture studio specializing in floating buildings and coastal development. The design was the winning entry in a competition initiated by the municipalities of Middelfart, Kolding, and Fredericia. Construction is set to begin this summer, with the platform expected to launch in 2025.
In other similar news, 3XN GXN has recently won the commissions for the design of a new Center for Coastal Nature and Sport Fishing in Assens, Denmark. Similarly, Snøhetta and WERK Arkitekter have recently developed a new maritime center on the coast of Esbjerg, Denmark, which is now open to the public. Finally, Henning Larsen Architects has just won the competition to design a new university campus building in Toshvan, Faroe Islands.
