Gentle slopes and the thundering North Atlantic are the setting for one of the most awe-inspiring natural phenomena on the Irish isle: the „Giant’s Causeway“ is formed by myriad hexagonal basalt columns. Tightly grouped together, they look like a ramp that leads into the sea.

The Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre is dedicated to the impressive basalt formations at Northern Ireland’s northern shore.

heneghan peng say that its design can be understood as two folds in the landscape: one upward, holding the building, and one downward, on which the carpark is placed.

Local stonemasons delivered a total of 186 columns made of black basalt. The stone was quarried near the Giant’s Causeway.

The energy efficient building boasts a number of interactive exhibition areas that unlock the geology and mythology of the World Heritage Site. On top, the grass roof offers 360 degree views of the Causeway coastline (view of the lobby shortly before the opening).

Across the centuries, the peculiar hexagonal basalt columns of the Giant’s Causeway have stirred the imagination of residents and travellers. Legend says that they were carved from the coast by the mighty giant, Finn McCool.

Is it possible for a manmade structure to sit seamlessly beside this UN World Heritage site without destroying its serenity? The answer is yes. The Visitor Centre designed by Dublin-based architects heneghan peng is the perfect example. Carefully embedded in the hillside, this award-winning building makes use of stone columns that flank the building and lines that stretch far into the rugged cliffs above the Causeway.

The Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre breathes sustainability from the outside and lives up to the same principle on the inside: all guidelines for the planning, construction and operation of the building, reaching from the criteria for energy efficiency, through to resource consumption and durability, and as far as the integration of local artisan craftwork are in line with one objective: to make the home of the Giant a true icon of sustainable architecture.