DEC

Opening hours: DNB Bank, Oslo by MVRDV.

Photo: Jiri Havan.

Part of the well known MVRDV Barcode masterplan for Oslo, DNB’s new bank headquarters has recently been completed. The building has 17 unique floors and is described by the architect as “pixelated”. It is planned around small scale working units of 6m x 6m considered by the bank to be the ideal size for a project team. This unit of space also gives the massing of the building volume an opportunity to respond to the varying urban context. Read more

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NOV

Ice lady: Sogn & Fjordane Art Museum by C. F. Møller.

Photos: Oddleiv Apneseth, Stein Sandemose Bårdsen.

Having the largest glacier in Europe nested in the mountains just outside town, has become a cultural reference point for the small Norwegian settlement of Førde. C. F. Møller took the glacier, Jostedalsbreen as it is known locally, as inspiration when designing the town’s new art museum.

Sogn og Fjordane Kunstmuseum is intended to recall a fractured block of ice. The museum sits by the water like an iceberg poised to enter. Clad in white glass the building façade has lines in it that recall ice fractures. At night, these are illuminated creating an abstract advertisement for the town’s cultural haven.

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OCT

There is no denying it: the Cultural centre, “Plassen”, Molde, Norway by 3XN.

There is no denying it: the Cultural centre, “Plassen”, Molde, Norway by 3XN.

Images and photos: 3XN

I have a good collection of Norwegian Jazz thanks to my much-loved Norwegian friend who wanted me to know of the vibrant jazz scene in that country. Of course I expressed my doubts: improbable… where does the tradition come from… who are these musicians… etc. All a ploy of course, in the hope of getting another excellent recording for my next birthday present!

Such a ploy today would be hopeless. The “Plassen” (meaning square or place) designed by 3XN Architects has opened. For the first time it gives the world famous Molde’s International Jazz Festival an undeniable, and rather special architectural presence. Read more

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OCT

Light storey: Astrup Fearnley museum, Oslo by Renzo Piano Building Workshop with Narud Stokke Wiig architects.

Light storey: Astrup Fearnley museum, Oslo by Renzo Piano Building Workshop with Narud Stokke Wiig architects

Photos: Nic Luhoux

In Oslo natural light is precious, particularly in the winter months. Using the available light was therefore the driving concept for The Renzo Piano Building Workshop when designing  the Tjuvholmen Icon Complex.

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AUG

At one with nature: Juvet Landscape Hotel by Jensen Skodvin Architects.

Photos: Jensen Skodvin Architects.

Today seems like an excellent day to discuss what modern Norway is rightly famous for: the relationship of its people and buildings to its fantastic and dramatic landscape.

The project featured is the Juvet Landscape Hotel by Jensen Skodvin Architects. It was built in 2008 to universal acclaim. Read more

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