bjarke ingels group plans twisted museum building for norwegian sculpture park

bjarke ingels group has revealed plans for a new museum building to be constructed in the grounds of norway’s kistefos sculpture park. BIG’s design — developed in collaboration with AKT II, max fordham, davis langdon, and GCAM — measures a total of 1,400 square meters, with construction work set to start in 2016. the sculpture park, which is home to works by anish kapoor, olafur eliasson and elmgreen & dragset, is located one hour north of oslo, adjacent to jevnaker’s river randselva. built around a historic paper mill, the site occupies both embankments of the waterway, with an old bridge serving as the only crossing.

all images courtesy of bjarke ingels group

the proposed design has been conceived as a simple beam that spans the river, forming a second bridge for the site. a twist in the building’s volume allows the structure to emerge from the lower forested area, towards the elevated hillside opposite. ‘this creates a series of interconnected spaces,’ explains BIG. ‘a vertical stack of galleries for media, paintings, and sculpture to the south, and a horizontal, open gallery, ideal for sculptures and large installations, to the north’.

the site occupies both embankments of the waterway

visitors enter the museum through a triple height space at the southern end of the building, containing the institution’s information center and shop. from this entrance, guests have clear sightlines towards the other end of the museum, where a café offers views of the pulp mill and the surrounding landscape. a fanning stairway connects the various levels, doubling as an informal seating area and providing a space for video projections and performance art.

the design has been conceived as a simple beam that forms a new crossing

the sculptural façade is a combination of brushed stainless steel and insulated glazed panels, clad with a reflective UV film to protect the museum’s artwork. electrical solar shading is integrated in the framing system, offering both translucent brightness and complete darkness.

a twist in the building’s volume allows the structure to emerge from the lower forested area

‘we were instantly fascinated by the dramatic landscape of kistefos — the winding river, forested riverbanks and the steep topography’, explains bjarke ingels. ‘our proposal for a new art museum acts like a second bridge in the sculpture park, forming a continuous loop across both riverbanks. with the inhabited bridge, we stumbled upon our first experiment with social infrastructure — a building that serves as a bridge — or a cultural institution that serves as a piece of infrastructure.’

a completion date for the project has been scheduled for september 18, 2019.

a fanning stairway connects the various levels, doubling as an informal seating area

the sculptural façade is a combination of brushed stainless steel and insulated glass panels

glazing is clad with a reflective UV film to protect the museum’s contents

views are presented towards the site’s historic paper mill

section detailing the scheme’s programmatic layout (click to expand)

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project info:

client: kistefos museum
collaborators: AKT II, max fordham, davis langdon, GCAM
size: 270,000 sqm
location: jevnaker, norway
status: invited competition
partners in charge: bjarke ingels, david zahle, andreas klok pedersen
project leader: brian yang