David VaculĂk
CONTENTS We are Snøhetta...................................... 7-8 Process....................................................9-15 Architecture...........................................16-37 Landscape............................................38-42 Interior...................................................44-49 Brand Design........................................50-52
We are Snøhetta. We create architecture, landscapes, interiors and brand design.
Today, Snøhetta has grown to become an internationally renowned practice of architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, and brand design, with more than 180 employees from 30 different Snøhetta began as a collaborative nations. architectural and landscape workshop, and has remained true to its trans-disciplinary way of thinking since its inception.
Our work strives to enhance our sense of place, identity and relationship to others and the physical spaces we inhabit, whether feral or human-made. Museums, markets, reindeer observatories, landscapes and dollhouses get the same care and attention to purpose.
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Snøhetta is a place that nobody is from, but anyone can go to.
In 2004, Snøhetta was commissioned to build the only cultural building on the World Trade Center Memorial site, and a permanent office was then set up in New York. In 2013, following the commission to design the new In 1989, Snøhetta received its first SFMOMA Expansion, Snøhetta launched its commission to re-conceive the great San Francisco studio. Alexandria Library in Egypt after winning an international design competition. This was followed a decade later by another competition-winning proposal for the Today, we continue to grow around the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet. world with offices in Innsbruck, Stockholm, and Adelaide.Today, Snøhetta has grown to become an internationally renowned practice of architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, and brand design, with more than 180 employees from 30 different nations.
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Our studio spaces are important in facilitating our collaborative working process. You’ll find the same fundamental elements in the layout of all our offices. Human interaction shapes the spaces we design and the way we operate, something which is reflected equally in our studio spaces. Our offices are open and welcoming, facilitating collaboration and interaction with each other.
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A horizontal organizational structure and open flow of information between colleagues is core to Snøhetta’s culture. Our office layouts are non-hierarchical, allowing all employees – regardless of role or profession – to sit together in an open studio.
Our design methodology is rooted in our core values. We combine a wide spectrum of tools and theories with a good portion of generosity.
Workshops and tools can only go so far, since people drive the creative process. We use the expression “Singular in the plural” to emphasize the value of the individual and ones interests in the performance of a group. These interests need not be found within the professional framework of architecture, design, or engineering, but just as much within the different passions in life.
Snøhetta’s working method practices a simultaneous exploration of traditional handicraft and cutting edge digital technology – a complementary relationship that drives our creative process.
At the core of the design studio is a stateof-the art modelling workshop equipped with 3D rapid prototyping capabilities and a large, programmable manufacturing robot. Alongside traditional woodworking machines, these tools enable rapid prototyping to become an integral part of the design process. Ideas can move seamlessly between analogue and digital worlds.
Rather than fitting an individual into the group’s philosophy, the individuals themselves define the dynamics of the group. Someone’s unique perspective, background, or personal interest such as music, dance or art can be valuable in informing the creative process. Further, our inclusive design approach means that certain conditions such as gender equality and a diversity of nationalities, ethnicities and ages, are fundamental to our process. 10
We excel at consensusbuilding through workshops and charrettes. Client, user, and internal office workshops drive our design process and can often produce the most exciting, useful, and fresh takes on a problem, giving way to a built project that can respond in kind.
Likewise, we have a long history of collaborating with the arts from the earliest conceptual phases of the design. We are continuously inspired by the unique perspective artists bring to our work and find these cross-collaborations push both architecture and art towards new expressions and content. Just as the choice of building materials is affected by what is natural for the individual project and specific Through our experience working on site, a contextual understanding assist in complex public projects worldwide such as the choice of the artist and technique for the National September 11th Memorial & the project. Museum, the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the Times Square Reconstruction, our design leaders are adept at negotiation multi-headed client bodies and fielding the often conflicting interests of a wide range of stakeholders.
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We look to shape the future through design intelligence and integrated interdisciplinary research; a future with harmonious, flourishing environments for the endowment of all living things.
Fundamental to all our work is a commitment to social and environmental sustainability. Because of that, our projects involve extensive collaboration with clients, users, contractors, and other stakeholders. We know that with well-conceived design we can help things run more fluidly, Recognizing the wide range of improve people’s well-being, and make life more enjoyable. Every project is a unique environments that the building industry expression of the ethos of its users, climate, impacts, Snøhetta remains committed to careful analysis of the environmental and and context. social effects of each phase of a project.
Snøhetta is the lead architect in the Powerhouse collaboration, a multidisciplinary partnership with building industry leaders dedicated to creating energy positive buildings. These Powerhouse projects are developed in collaboration with research institutions including the Research Centre on Zero Emission Buildings in Norway; and SINTEF, Scandinavia’s largest independent research body amongst others. 12
Human interaction shapes the spaces we design and how we operate. Here you can find contact details for all our employees. Use the filter function to narrow down the search, or just start typing if you know the name of the person you’re looking for.
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“Transpositioning”
is the working method where participants are invited to break from their professional role and switch perspectives with others in the group. By releasing ourselves from disciplinary conventions for a short period of time, we can foster a greater sense of possibility, free ourselves from habitual thinking, and build empathy for others involved in the process.
One can compare this to how some orchestras let their musicians rehearse on each other’s instruments in order to better understand the challenges and possibilities of other parts. Upon returning to one’s own instrument, this new knowledge elevates the collective quality of the performance.
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Architecture
Lillehammer Art Museum and Lillehammer Cinema Expansion Twenty two years after completing the first expansion to the Lillehammer Art Museum, Snøhetta is honored to expand the project yet again, creating a holistic expression for both the art museum and the adjacent cinema.
The Lillehammer Art Museum and Lillehammer Cinema were first established in an Erling Viksjø-designed building in 1964, which is considered today a definite representation of the architectural style of its time. In 1994, Snøhetta completed an extension to the Museum with the construction of an independent building that sought to bridge the architectural language of the original 1960s buildings and contemporary formal expression.
In 2016, a second Snøhetta-designed expansion connects the two existing institutions with the addition of the new exhibition hall Weidemannsalen to the Museum, and two theaters and an interior renovation to the Lillehammer Cinema.
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The integration of art, architecture, and landscape is an important feature in both Snøhetta and Erling Viksjø’s work. When Snøhetta designed the museum expansion in 1994, the spaces in between the buildings were transformed into an art garden in the firm’s first collaboration with artist Bård Breivik. For the recent expansion, it has been important to again enhance these connecting spaces, bringing the three volumes together in one complete project.
The expansion of the Lillehammer Art Museum and Lillehammer Cinema was completed throughout spring 2016, with the Museum being completed in January, the Cinema in March, and the return of the art garden being completed in May.
The expansion of the Museum is created on idea of art hovering above a transparent base. The new space houses a children’s workshop at ground level with floorto-ceiling windows and sits beneath a cantilevered hall wrapped in a dynamic metal façade.
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Swarovski Kristallwelten
Swarovski Kristallwelten (Swarovski Crystal Worlds) first opened in 1995 and since then the touristic destination has become one of Austria’s most popular attractions with an average of 600,000 visitors annually. On the occasion of the Tyrolean family-owned company’s 120 year anniversary this year, Snøhetta has been commissioned to take part in the expansion leading up to the grand re-opening of the Swarovski Kristallwelten on April 30.
Swarovski Crystal Worlds has put together a team of three architectural firms, including CAO PERROT, s_o_s architekten, and Snøhetta. “Snøhetta, CAO PERROT and s_o_s architekten have crafted a design and formal language of truly poetic tenor, which will mesmerize our visitors when it opens on April 30, 2015. The forces behind this international network of creative talents have engaged in a dialog with the uniqueness of this location. The rich abundance of facets that embody the Swarovski brand is reflected by the architecture of the new Swarovski Crystal Worlds“, says Carla Rumler, Cultural Director at Swarovski.
Snøhetta has contributed with three main elements to the expansion; a playtower and adjacent playground, a shop entrance, and a café and restaurant area.
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With the goal of having the expanded Swarovski Kristallwelten appealing to all visitors’ senses, with a particular focus on children, a new building typology has emerged in this project. Situated in the south end of the garden, the 20 meter tall playtower will foster a wide range of playing experiences on four vertically arranged levels, creating an innovative experience of space. Here children can explore and play, and amongst other things, climb freely in a 14 meter one-of-a-kind climbing net.
The tower’s façade consists of 160 crystal facets, where no two are alike. The panels are printed with an innovative pattern made from millions of tiny motifs that are linked to the history of Swarovski. The view from inside to the outside is visible at all times, just as the activities on the inside always can be seen from the outside. At night, the structure presents a spectacular body of light that magically enhances the reflections of the surrounding Crystal Cloud and Mirror Pool. 20
Norwegian National Opera and Ballet Snøhetta’s prize-winning design was characterized by the jury as having strongly identifiable themes that tie the building to its culture and place while also presenting an unusual and unique expression that was in many ways new and innovative. The project developed a highly complex program into a simple general plan that integrated both a practical and intuitive sculptural approach to modeling the exterior form. Its low slung form became a link within the city rather than a divisive sculptural expression. Its accessible roof and broad, open public lobbies make the building a social monument rather than a sculptural one.
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The building is as much landscape as architecture and thus fosters public awareness and engagement with the arts. Generous windows at street level provide the public a glimpse of the scenery workshop activities. The building still finds an audience with public who are not opera, ballet or orchestra fans. The cafes and gift shop, with their access to the waterfront are destinations which offer opportunities to generate revenue for the institution while providing a general public amenity. Care was taken with the design of these components so that they are seamlessly integrated into the overall character of the building’s bold design.
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Ryerson University Student Learning Centre
Ryerson University students are making good use of the newest building on campus: the Student Learning Centre (SLC), designed by Snøhetta and Zeidler Partnership Architects. Inspired by the historical gathering spaces of the Stoas and Agoras in ancient Greece where learning was inherently social, the lively SLC gives students eight uniquely-designed floors of generous space to meet, study, and exchange ideas. Conceived as a library without books, the design develops natural conditions for groups of people to interact while also offering areas for controlled and introspective study. Most importantly, it encourages students to make the space their own. The SLC is a library built for the digital age that encourages students to interact with their physical environment. Since its opening, the new campus landmark has become a popular hub filled with student activity from 7 AM to 1 AM each day.
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National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion
The atrium there stand two structural columns rescued from the original towers. Although removed from their former location and function, they mark the site with their own original aesthetic gesture.
On May 15, 2014, President Obama was Once inside, visitors look out through the present for the dedication of the National Pavilion’s atrium to see others peer in, and September 11 Memorial Museum & Pavilion begin a physical and mental transition in at the World Trade Center site. The Pavilion the journey from above to below ground. and Museum opened to the public for the first time on May 21, 2014.
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In 2004, Snøhetta was commissioned to design the only building on the memorial plaza. In the years since, the program has changed several times, however it has remained a cultural facility dedicated to visitor comfort and orientation. The design for the building embodies a careful reaction to the horizontal character of the memorial plaza’s design, while also providing the area with a lively organic form that allows the visitor to imagine the site and city in a broader sense. According to Craig Dykers,
“Our desire is to allow visitors to find a place that is a naturally occurring threshold between the everyday life of the city and the uniquely spiritual quality of the Memorial. It is important that people physically engage with the building and feel that it helps lead them on to other areas of the site and other thoughts about their experiences there.”
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The Pavilion’s jewel-like, striped façade was developed in collaboration with the Client to allow the building to have a strong resonance for the visitor as well as providing visual and architectural connection to the surrounding urban environment. The flat plane of the Memorial Plaza is pierced by the glass Atrium of the Pavilion, which allows visitors to enter the below-grade Museum and bring with them sunlight from above.
The Pavilion follows the Memorial’s Sustainability Design Guidelines. As a result, the Pavilion is on target to receive a LEED rating of Gold.The Pavilion features a number of sustainable features including optimized minimal energy performance, daylight and views, water efficiency, wastewater re-use, low emitting and locally sources materials and fabricators wherever possible.
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University of Bergen, Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design (KMD) October 11, 2017, marked the official opening of the Snøhetta-designed Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design (KMD) in Bergen, Norway. Replacing the former Bergen Academy of Art & Design (KHiB), the new KMD has undergone a historic fusion, assembling the previously scattered faculty buildings under one roof. This new 14,800 m2 cross-disciplinary faculty is now the second largest cultural building in Bergen after the 1,500-seat Grieg Concert Hall.
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The building is organized along two axes, one internal, dedicated to students and staff, and one external, open to the public. Under the KMD roof, these axes cross each other in the 1,300 m2 and 19,000 m3 project hall, one of the most prominent and dominant features of the building. It is here, in the transition zone between the public and the private sphere of the school, that the building offers exciting opportunities for students, professors, and visitors to connect, discover, and learn from one another. It is a multi-use, semi-climatic space running through the entire construction.
A prominent aspect of the KMD building is its robust and malleable characteristics. Both the project hall and the 410 rooms surrounding it, including auditoriums, offices, and workshops of various sizes, have been designed to both foster creativity and to withstand harsh treatment which is inevitable in an art school. The objective is to free students and staff from limitations by surfaces and materials.
Another important feature of the building is its unifying mission, manifested through the project hall. As a powerful symbol of the unification process of six faculty buildings merging into one KMD, it is a direct reflection of the faculty’s ambition of stimulating to collaboration and cross-disciplinary exchange. Very much a public space, as well as an artistic space for students, the project hall will host events and exhibitions. Rising to 23-meter-high at its tallest point, it is equipped with an original Munck bridge crane running its entire length, echoing the now demolished Sverre Munck’s crane factory which used to occupy the site.
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The 7th Room In the tall pine forest of Northern Sweden, where the tricolored tree trunks stretch up to the soaring crowns, a new addition to the renowned Treehotel opened in January 2017. Hovering ten meters above the ground within the tree canopy, the Snøhetta-designed 7th room provides its guests with a breathtaking view of the Lapland treetops and the Lule River. With focus on the surrounding nature, the design features large windows, a netted terrace suspended above the forest floor, and a tree stretching up through the cabin. The boundaries between indoors and outdoors are blurred, making the cabin part of the forest.
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The 7th room experience begins when approaching the cabin from the forest. Nearing the base of the tree, the view of the complete cabin gradually recedes as a sixth façade appears. This façade is the bottom of the cabin, where a 12 x 8-meter surface is covered with a large black and white print of trees reaching up into the sky. A staircase brings guests from the ground and up into the cabin, along with a small lift for transporting luggage.
Built as a traditional Nordic cabin, the wooden faรงade is clad with pine boards. The surface is burnt to create a dark and maintenance free faรงade. The indoor flooring is made from ash wood, while birch plywood is used for the interior walls. With complementing light, wooden furniture, the interior makes up a blonde Nordic contrast to the dark exterior.
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Under
surface. With meter-thick concrete walls, the structure is built to withstand pressure and shock from the rugged sea conditions. Like a sunken periscope, the restaurant’s At the southernmost point of the massive acrylic windows offer a view of Norwegian coastline by the village of Båly, the seabed as it changes throughout the Snøhetta has designed Europe’s very first seasons and varying weather conditions. underwater restaurant. With its immediate proximity with the forces of nature, the restaurant, which will also function as a research center for marine life, is a tribute to the Norwegian coast and to Lindesnes – to the wild fauna of the sea and to the rocky coastline of Norway’s southern tip.
Under’s namesake holds a double meaning: In Norwegian, “under” can just as well be translated into “wonder.” Half-sunken into the sea, the building’s monolithic form breaks the water surface to lie against the craggy shoreline. More than an aquarium, the structure will become a part of its marine environment, coming to rest directly on the sea bed five meters below the water’s 35
Through its architecture, menu and mission of informing the public about the biodiversity of the sea, Under will provide an under-water experience inspiring a sense of awe and delight, activating all the senses – both physical and intellectual.
Under has been designed with sensitive consideration for its geographic context and aquatic neighbors. The sleek, streamlined form of the building is encapsulated in a concrete shell with a coarse surface that invites mussels to cling on. Over time, as the mollusk community densifies, the submerged monolith will become an artificial mussel reef that functions dually to rinse the sea and naturally attract more marine life to its purified waters.
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Landscape
MAX IV Laboratory Landscape
The landscape design is based on a set of unique parameters to support the performance of the laboratory research, including measures such as mitigating ground vibrations from nearby highways, Since 2011, Snøhetta has been working storm water management, and meeting the on the development of a unique landscape city’s ambitious sustainability goals. design for the MAX IV Laboratory. Located in the city of Lund in southern Sweden, the MAX IV Laboratory Landscape is designed with the aim of creating a functional landscape solution for the high-performance The MAX IV is the first part of a larger synchrotron radiation laboratory MAX IV. transformation of the area northeast of Lund aiming to turn agricultural land into a ‘Science City’. The creation of a new, green public park rather than a fenced, introverted research center makes a difference in the MAX IV is a national laboratory operated public realm. The MAX IV site is a green site, jointly by the Swedish Research Council and and the image of the meadow vegetation on Lund University. The synchrotron facility is sloping hills as a recreational area is setting created by FOJAB architects, and Snøhetta a new standard for research facilities’ has designed the 19 hectares landscape outdoor areas. park. MAX IV was officially opened on June 21st 2016.
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1 – Mitigating ground vibrations: Testing led by researchers and engineers revealed that traffic on the neighboring highway (E22) was causing ground vibrations that could influence the experiments in the laboratories. By creating slopes and a more chaotic surface, the amount of ground vibrations has been reduced.
2 – Mass balance: With focus on optimizing the reuse of the excavated masses on site, a cut and fill strategy was employed. This secures the option of reversing the land to agricultural use when the synchrotron is no longer on site. By uploading the digital 3D model directly into the GPS-controlled bulldozers, we were able to relocate the masses to their final position in one operations, and no masses were transported off site.
3 – Storm water management: The city planning department of Lund restricts the quantity of water permitted to run into the city’s pipelines, and water management inside the site’s boundaries. Dry and wet ponds are therefore designed for both the 1-year and the 100-year storm water.
4 – Plant selection and maintenance: The discovery of the nearby natural reserve area at Kungsmarken made it possible to use a selection of natural species by harvesting hay and spreading it on the new, hilly landscape. The maintenance strategy includes a combination of grazing sheep and conventional machines suitable for meadow-land.
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Tverrfjellhytta, Norwegian Wild Reindeer Pavilion The Norwegian Wild Reindeer Centre Pavilion is located at Hjerkinn on the outskirts of Dovrefjell National Park, overlooking the mountain Snøhetta. The 90 m2 building is open to the public and serves as an observation pavilion for the Wild Reindeer Foundation educational programmes. A 1.5 km hiking trail leads visitors to this spectacular site overlooking the Dovrefjell mountains.
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The Dovrefjell mountain range forms a barrier between the northern and southern parts of Norway. It holds a unique place in Norwegian consciousness through a wide range of tales and myths connected to the mountains, and has a long history of travelers, hunting, mining, and military activities has left its mark on this landscape. The building design is based on a contrast between ideas - a rigid outer shell and a soft, organic inner core. The wooden core is shaped like rock or ice that has been eroded by natural forces like wind and running water, and is placed within a rectangular frame of raw steel and glass.
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Interior
Aesop Duke of York Square
With an intriguing fusion of futuristic and classic design, Snøhetta has completed its first permanently built project in England. The 108-square-meter retail space, dubbed Aesop Duke of York Square, is the latest addition to Aesop’s series of uniquely designed boutiques around the world.
Situated in Chelsea, London, the store’s design is inspired by the contextual relevance of the location combined with an influence of futuristic elements. The result is an interior characterized by classic architypes, a pale red color palette, and stainless-steel elements. 45
An existing column is used as the starting point for the store’s layout. From this centralized column, 12 arches stretch towards the perimeter walls. This series of arches function as a key element in creating a sense of organizational hierarchy, establishing visual separators within the space. The arches are clad in a clay based plaster with a subtle gradient color, ranging from a lighter base to a darker shade. Illumination from between the arches further emphasizes the gradient effect.
Expanding out from the centralized column, a sink in a circular shape establishes itself as the natural meeting point of the store. The sink, which is an integral part of all Aesop’s stores, appears as a hovering water mirror reflecting the light and colors of the ceiling. Made from polished stainless steel and glass fiber, the sink becomes a focal element, while simultaneously allowing for an optimized flow of people within the space.
The Norwegian Medicines Agency In 2016, The Norwegian Medicines Agency (NOMA) moved into their new office space at Helsfyr in Oslo, Norway. As part of a complete rehabilitation of the building, Snøhetta and Tegn-3 completed an interior layout and furnishing plan for NOMA. Further, Snøhetta created two new staircases connecting the interior zones of the new office space.
A main staircase and a secondary staircase are both developed based on integrated conceptual elements giving the staircases a unique identity. A DNA-spiral is the starting point and inspiration for the design. Through their designs, the two staircases make for good vertical communication between the different floors of the office space, creating a feeling of community helping build a strong company culture.
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Aesop Duke of York Square
For the high-end shoemaker Faust, Snøhetta has created a complete visual identity and the brand’s very first signature store. With a truly interdisciplinary approach, Snøhetta presents a coherent design including retail design, web design, signage, and brand design for everything from business cards to shoe boxes, as well as a customized typeface bringing all the elements together.
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The interior design and visual identity both have a strong link to shoemaking as a craft, with focus on tactility, quality, and elegance. Another important reference for the design is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s legend of Faust from Renaissance times – a legend which has been the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical works through the ages. The interior elements of the design, including the vaulted shapes, carved patterns, and the material palette, as well as the brand’s reconceived typography and color scheme, reference this historical period in which Goethe first penned the manuscript.
Barr
Located in North Atlantic House (Nordatlantens Brygge), Barr is a casual restaurant focused not only on the Nordics, but also on the broader food and drink traditions found in the region along the North Sea; an area that spans Scandinavia, Germany, Benelux and British Isles. The restaurant’s name (Barr: meaning “barley” in old Norse), reflects Schmidt’s fascination with the region’s food and drink history and culture. Classic dishes such as frikadeller (Danish meatballs), schnitzel and hotsmoked salmon will be offered alongside a large selection of craft beers and aquavits.
Throughout the restaurant, the design is driven by a strong duality and juxtaposition of the old and the new. When entering the restaurant, guests are met with a warm oak floor, contrasting with the rough texture of the original stone walls. A massive, carved wooden counter stretching from one room to the other anchors the space. The ceiling is alternately composed of the original ceiling beams and new, sculpted wooden planks, which are embedded with brass details that reflect micro spots of light. Raw materials - wood, leather and wool - evoke the restaurant’s Northern influence.
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Brand Design
Norway`s New Banknotes
Human beings settle nearby rivers, mountain chains, mountain passes, and coasts. We settle near boundaries – near the boundary between one element and the other.
The beauty of boundaries is about the transition between sea and land, where something meaningful and interesting happens. Over time the sea becomes commonplace, just as land easily becomes so. However, where sea and land meet there is life. There is life in the same way as life on earth exists between sea and air, between land and air. Where water meets earth, soft meets hard, wet meets dry, life is created.
Our long coast has created our identity, our heritage, and our industries. It has created national and international transport opportunities, as well as the creation of our welfare society. It is a vivid meeting that creates life.
The Central Bank of Norway announced on October 7 two winning proposals for the design of the new Norwegian banknotes. Snøhetta’s design will be the basis for the backsides of the notes, while The Metric System’s design will be the basis for the front sides. 51
Grette
Snøhetta has developed a new visual identity for the corporate law firm, Grette. The visual identity is based on the concept of interplay – a concept echoing Grette’s work methodology and philosophy. It reflects how the firm’s lawyers and other members of staff interact to move towards a common goal, and highlights Grette’s client approach.
More than being a simple advisor, Grette aims to give legal advice based on deliberative dialogue. Recognizing each individual employee, their efforts, specificities and strengths lies at the core of how Grette tailors holistic teams that can take on complex legal assignments within a wide range of disciplines – be it within in corporate transactions, intellectual property or the commercial real estate industry.
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