ARCHITECTURE ON THE EDGE

Architecture is stories told, about people, eras and ideas, and styles. We have selected several architectural gems for you, ranging from classic to modern and innovative. Step back! Enjoy!

Wooden houses

Northern Europe and Norway are well known for their wooden houses, and the towns and villages in our region are no exception. Stavanger has Europe’s largest continuous wooden house settlement!

Old Stavanger, with its 173 wooden houses from the 1700s and 1800s, is one of the most photographed tourist attractions in Stavanger city centre. The residents here are proud of the area and enjoy decorating their houses and gardens with a large variety of lush flowers. From the same period are the Stavanger wharf houses, which previously housed herring factories, salt and timber stores, and other commercial activities. About 60 of these harbour houses remain, today they are mostly used as offices, restaurants, and apartments. Make sure to visit Skagen 18, one of Stavanger’s oldest houses. The oldest part of the house was built in the 1720s, and the facade we see today is from a renovation in 1787, a variant of Rococo with beautiful carvings and pilasters. From here, it’s not far to the trendy Øvre Holmegate, which is rightfully called the colourful street – here all houses were painted in different colours according to a colour plan by artist Craig Flannagan.

You can also find several old, well­preserved harbour houses in Sogndalstrand, Åve in Rekefjord, and Åna-Sira, a picturesque fishing village with a church, shrimp factory, and power station. Sogndalstrand is the only village in Norway where both the wooden house settlement and the surrounding cultural landscape are protected. Here, discover the traditional and the historic amongst the spectacular, and enjoy the tranquillity of the charming little neighbourhood. Sogndalstrand Kulturhotell has helped attract more business to the small coastal community, contributing to an increase in local engagement in recreating the old trading environment.

Egersund city has one of the best-preserved woodhouse settlements in Norway. Haugen, Egersund’s so-called “medieval city”, has developed from necessity and use, not according to any urban plan. Here, houses, outbuildings, workshops, barns, and stables were all built together in beautiful harmony. The buildings have undergone continuous changes over time, but the foundations remain the same as when the area was developed between 1750–1800. You can also find several beautiful timber houses in Strandgaten, the city’s former main street.

Neoclassicism in Stavanger –from public buildings to hotels

The most impressive public architecture in Stavanger is located on the hill of Våland. Four key institutions, including Stavanger Museum, Stavanger Old Gymnasium, Rogaland Theatre, and the former Stavanger Hospital, were designed and constructed by the architect Hartvig Sverdrup Eckhoff at the turn of the last century. The buildings were all made in a classical style from the period, and the area became known as the “Acropolis of Stavanger” among locals.

Functionalist luxury hotel

Another notable hotel in Stavanger is the Eilert Smith Hotel, named after the architect who designed it in the 1930s, with all the aesthetic elements of the modernist movement. Clean and elegant without excessive details or ornaments. Form follows functionality and efficiency as ideals in modern times. Today, the Eilert Smith Hotel offers luxury accommodation as well as Norway’s best food experience at the MICHELIN-stars restaurant RE-NAA**.

The architecture of hydropower

From that same period is Hotel Victoria, Stavanger’s first hotel, which was completed in 1900. Henry Bucher designed a refined and ornate neo­Renaissance building that fit the ambition of a luxury hotel at the turn of the century. The building has an intricate facade with patterns of red and yellow brick with white details and several classical elements such as the main entrance with its slender columns. In recent years, the hotel has undergone extensive renovation and now shines with the same glory as before, with an elegant and modern expression.

The small community of Flørli in the Lysefjord is best known for its 4444 wooden steps from the fjord to the mountain. You get close to the hydropower history of the 1900s. The old power plant now houses a summer cafe and an exhibition about the village’s history. The roadless village is accessible by boat and has several accommodation options. At Hydro’s Røldal-Suldal facility in Nesflaten, you will find one of the finest and best-preserved examples of the functionalist style in Norway. Architect Geir Grung designed the area with power plants and building plots in the 1960s. Here you can sleep at the Energihotellet, with an interesting history behind a combination of concrete and sustainable energy solutions.

Modern wooden architecture

One of the main projects in Stavanger2008 - the European Capital of Culture, was Norwegian Wood, with the ambition to develop wood architecture through innovative and environmentally friendly buildings. Experience this with an overnight stay at the Preikestolen Fjellstue, which blends seamlessly into the landscape at the starting point of the trail up to Preikestolen. Lanternen in Langgata in Sandnes is another example from Norwegian Wood, a multi-purpose building in wood and glass that serves as an outdoor stage in the pedestrian street. Find several popular wooden structures in nature; Midgardsormen, a winding, 230-meter-long footbridge that crosses the lake Frøylandsvatnet and connects the east and west hiking areas together. The bridge is named after the sea serpent in Nordic mythology. While hiking along the Jæren beaches, take a breather at Friluftshuset på Orre, a wooden building in timeless architecture shaped in harmony with nature and man, a typical concept by the original architect of the building, Per Line. Friluftshuset is a regional cultural centre with exhibitions and concerts.

Finansparken Bjergsted was completed in 2019 and is one of Europe’s largest wooden commercial buildings. The iconic building is designed by Helen & Hard and is the headquarters of SpareBank 1 SR-Bank.

Iconic buildings

Other notable buildings in Stavanger include the Stavanger Concert Hall, designed by RATIO Architects, and the Norwegian Petroleum Museum by Lunde & Løvseth. This building is a symbolic interpretation of the Norwegian bedrock, the open coastal landscape towards the sea, and offshore installations at sea - and thus reflects the very content of the exciting exhibitions inside.

In Sandnes, the Vitenfabrikken, designed by Askim Lanto Arkitekter MNAL, and the Sandnes town hall by the German architectural firm Code of Practice are both exciting buildings. When Sandnes had a new town hall in 2019, great emphasis was put on understanding local history. The proud history of the ceramic city is preserved in the exterior facade with ceramic cladding panels in brick.

Høyhuset på Bryne has become a landmark that helps define Jæren. The low­rise three­story structure and the 18-story high-rise building surround an urban square where there are shops, offices, the municipal library and the museum Garborgsenteret. From the cafe on the 18th floor, you have a magnificent view of the flat Jæren landscape.