snøhetta: VM temporary pavilion welcomes world cup ski visitors

‘VM pavilion’ by snøhetta, oslo, norway image © marte garmann johnsen all images courtesy of snøhetta

norwegian practice snøhetta has built their temporary ‘VM pavilion’ to welcome guests to the 2011 world cup of skiing in oslo. resting on an oblong triangular site, the installation wraps one extreme with a funneling shape from the approach opening to incoming visitors, and a curtain wall on the convex side framing the statue of king haakon. comprised of three simple volumes, two rectangular masses are connected by a transparent semicircular piece. oak planks wrap the facade of the structure while slate stone tiles, also used in the exterior paving, crown the building to blend it visually into its surroundings when viewed from the adjacent tall buildings.

the warm interior is supported by a series of timber glulam columns also holding the full-height panels of glazing. the veneer of the two orthogonal pieces facing the street integrate lumber sections offset from the cladding to allow thin bars of plexiglass and fiber optics to create a metaphorical allusion to the icicles common in the region during the winter months.

convex, street-side facade image © marte garmann johnsen

accompanying the clean design of the construct is an equally thought out sustainable strategy. every section of the project is made to be recycled or directly reused. assembled and disassembled in a short time, the 300 square-meter, two-storey space with externally located screws, can be easily transported and repurposed as an office, addition, meeting room or virtually any other type of enclosed space. the elevator is also recyclable into any other building, either as a standalone system or an extension to an existing lift.

spaces between the planks allow thin strips of light to show through image © marte garmann johnsen