030
Roof Over Landscape
LOCATION
JØLSTER, NORWAY
PROGRAM
VISITOR CENTER FOR NIKOLAI ASTRUP
YEAR
2024
STATUS
COMPETITION ENTRY
Large wooden screens frame the mountainscape and create sheltered outdoor spaces and curated horizontal views towards the lake and the surrounding mountains. Its screens fold and overlap, creating roofs, facades, and coverings in the same uniform material. Over time, the overlapping wooden screens will develop a varied patina from the sun and the rain, and along with the shadows, adding another layer to the interplay of light, shadow, and depth. The angled roofs, juxtaposed against the straight walls, create references reminiscent of paintings leaning against the wall in an atelier.
Our proposal is based on an analysis of the Western Norwegian cultural landscape and its building traditions. The building draws inspiration from the area’s traditional agricultural buildings, often lying along the height curves and characterized by their vast simple planes without reflective glass.
Visitors enter through a narrow, vertical space with a skylight, enhancing the sense of stepping into the elongated volume with its horizontal view of the lake. The tower is a natural separation between the café and the exhibition and creates spatial variations and visual connections across different flows. The plan is simple and repetitive for ease of construction and allows all functions to be operated by a single person simultaneously due to lower demand during the off-season.
The biggest challenge of the site is the different arrival levels for buses and cars, making it essential to create an equal and beautiful arrival experience from both levels without having multiple arrival areas. We believe that this atypical arrival situation must be the very foundation of the architectural expression, and we therefore propose a vertical infrastructure tower that connects the two levels and equally guides visitors to an intermediate floor incorporating all public-related functions. A large skylight bathes the tower’s introverted and vertical spaces in light, creating a counterpoint to the elongated main floor with framed panoramic views. It becomes a spatial journey where the varied spatial qualities enhance each other. From the outside, the tower resembles a large chimney, dividing the screen's distinctive architectural expression.
The building rests upon the terraced landscape supported by stone walls. Repetitive timber frames form large flexible spaces that weave into the landscape. The various terraces support vegetation similar to those found in Astruptunet and are linked by small stairs, paths and bridges.
