Water Sports Center Halsskov

This surprising water sports facility is actually comprised of two sets of shipping container buildings. It’s set in the Danish town of Korsør on the site of an old ferry port.

The project was created as a way to revitalize a beautiful but unused waterfront piece of land in the city. Originally, the two Danish islands of Zealand and Funen were connected by ferry boats. However, the Great Belt Fixed Link, built in 1997, meant that the Halsskov ferry terminal was no longer needed.

Instead, architects designed an outdoor space meant to encourage outdoor activity and provide safe, easy access to the water. Two twenty-foot containers are used to house restrooms on the east side of the property. Each as fully clad in wood slats, helping them easily blend into the surrounding nature.

Less than 100 meters away is the more well-known part of the center, the diving tower. Comprised of three stacked forty-foot containers and painted in a bright yellow, the diving tower is both a functional water access and a scenic landmark.

The diving tower’s three containers are stacked, but each unit is slightly twisted on a vertical axis to slightly offset them. It gives the overall structure more texture, especially at night as the added edges allow shadows and light to accentuate the design. Furthermore, numerous holes were drilled to provide views both into and out of the tower.

As a diving platform, the tower provides jumping-off points at 4, 8, and 11 meters for the most daring visitors. Although, undoubtedly many people come to see the tower without actually using it!

Overall, the center is a fantastic application for shipping containers. Given the land’s former use as a port, shipping containers make for a natural building medium from a story-telling perspective. And given the harsh marine climate, the strength of the containers was obviously a contributing factor in their selection as well.

Finally, the entire project was designed with eco-friendly principles in mind. Many of the building materials were reused from the ferry port, LED lighting was used throughout the premises, and the containers are upcycled to their new application as well.