Moesgaard Museum

The new Moesgaard Museum opened the doors to the public for the first time in 2014 and is one of the world's most sustainable museums with its unique green initiatives.

The museum's foyer and restaurant are connected in an open space area, which is jointly ventilated via automatically controlled windows in the facade and roof (natural ventilation).

The museum's offices and meeting rooms are ventilated via automatically controlled windows in the facade combined with mechanical ventilation (hybrid ventilation).

Mikkel Berg Thorsager, Technical Manager at Moesgaard Museum states:

“With such an impressive building it is important that we are able to provide the visitors with a holistic experience. It's not enough to give them that ‘wow moment’ when they see the building from the outside. We needed to bring the positive experience inside as well. The indoor climate plays a central role here, which is why I am also thrilled that the comfort level provided by the automated natural ventilation is so high. There is always fresh air inside, which naturally affects both the staff and our visitors.”





Alice Andersen, engineer with specialty in indoor climate and energy from COWI A/S adds:

“In relation to building costs, natural and hybrid ventilation is advantageous at Moesgaard Museum. If these energy efficient ventilation systems were replaced with traditional mechanical ventilation, alternative measures such as solar panels on the roof would be necessary to meet the energy requirements. But if looking at the lifecycle cost of the building, natural and hybrid ventilation is a solid solution compared to solar panels. The lifespan of solar cells is limited to around 30 years, while natural ventilation is building integrated, meaning that it reduces energy consumption and improves the indoor climate for as long as the building stands.”