Kosterhavet will be Sweden’s first marine national park. The heart of the site is a self-sufficient new building from an energy perspective that exists in symbiosis with the sea.

Kosterhavet’s national park will be inaugurated in September 2009 as Sweden’s first marine national park. White won the competition for a new Visitor Centre with its “Mareld” (sea-fire) proposal. Sea-fire is the sea’s own light and the building, which opens up towards the water, is enriched by reflections on the water’s surface. The effect is a light show of the sea, an artificial sea-fire.

Sustainability aspects have run-through the project, which has a very high environmental profile. The visitor centre is a completely self-sufficient site with renewable energy created by sun and heat from the water, with natural ventilation and desalinated seawater to produce drinking water.

The structure and façade mainly consists of wood. All components have been screened not to contain hazardous substances. Separate analyses were carried out to discover the effect of water flows, marine environmental consequences, the existence of protected species and the effect on the cultural environment. The area is also at risk for earthquakes, floods and rockslides, which were taken into consideration in the planning phase.