House of Creation Choreographing atmospheres
Oda Olafsrud established herself as an architect and designer in New York. Now she’s bringing her interdisciplinary, collaborative practice back home to Oslo, with her agency, House of Creation. “As architects, we can forget how much more there is to buildings than the structure of what’s built. What we really live in are the interiors, their materiality, light, and form, the things we touch and feel.” Oda Olafsrud wants to shine a light on the interdisciplinary heart of her architectural practice. For the CEO of the architectural design agency, House of Creation, inspiration comes from where architecture merges with the forms and textures of design, fashion, art, and even dance, a discipline in which she’s trained. That training is partly why Oda describes her current work as “choreographing atmospheres”. Yet, that’s
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Localfolk Norway
also a mission statement that helps her attend to the movements, rhythms, textures, and moods of the spaces she creates, not just the four walls. “Architecture always makes us feel something,” she explains, “and as an architectural designer, I’m interested in how we can curate spaces and ambiences that are healing, that make people feel differently.” The Oslo-based architect had her first opportunity to put her ideas into action in New York, when, straight out of university, she was commissioned to fully renovate the Germanotta Residence in Manhattan. The result was a dreamy, sophisticated space with a tangible Scandinavian influence. But, as Oda admits, it was quite a risk for a new graduate. “It was much less safe than just joining an architectural firm,” she says. But it did give her the chance to handle a whole project alone, “from the macro to the micro,” Images / Alice Gao Words / Charlie Jarvis
