Knut Hamsun Center / Steven Holl Architects

Aug 2009

Architect: Steven Holl Architects
Location: Hamarøy, Norway
Program: Historical museum for writer Knut Hamsun including exhibition areas, library, reading room, cafe and 230 seat auditorium
Client: Nordland Fylkeskommune (County)
Project Area: 2,271 sqm
Project year: 1994-2009
Photographs: Ernst Furuhatt & Steven Holl Architects

This center dedicated to Hamsun is located above the Arctic Circle near village of Presteid of Hamarøy and the farm where the writer grew up. The museum will include exhibition areas, a library and reading room, a cafe and an auditorium. The concept for the museum is “building as a body,” creating a battleground of invisible forces.

section BB

The tarred black wood exterior skin is characteristic of the great wooden stave Norse churches. The spine of the building body is the central elevator, providing handicapped and freight access to all parts of the building. At the roof garden the long grass reflects the traditional Norwegian sod roofs in a different way. Strange, surprising and phenomenal experiences in space perspective and light will provide an inspiring frame for the exhibitions.

: site plan

: plan 01 with audirorium

: plan 01

: plan 02

: plan 03

: plan 04

: plan 05

: plan 06

: basement floor plan

: basement floor plan with auditorium

: east elevation

: north elevation

: south elevation

: west elevation

: section BB

: section CC

: section DD

: sketch

: sketch

: sketch

: sketch

: sketch

: sketch

: sketch

: model

: model

: model

: model

: model

25 comments »

StructureHub Blog says:

Neato, swell – they both apply. For so simple a structure, Mr. Holl crafted a sculpture w/ much depth, even using shadow as an element of design, by tilting a portion of the facade outward. Clever model, too.

# August 7, 2009 at 14:12

llama llama llama says:

Stick to watercolours, imho.

# August 7, 2009 at 14:46

Thomas says:

Stunning, perfect!! I guess you would have to know Hamsun’s writing to understand this building and its depth.

# August 7, 2009 at 16:14

Richie says:

The “hairy” roof seems like a fairly arbitrary gesture and I think the building would be better without it but I like it a lot apart from that. It makes a strong presence in the landscape without looking out of place, and the interconnected internal spaces twisting up through the tower seem interesting (though you don’t really get to see them properly here).

# August 7, 2009 at 20:06

Andrew says:

It’s a common feature of old Norwegian houses to have “lawns” on top of them. It also relates to several of his books.

# August 8, 2009 at 17:54

Mr. Cheap says:

Funny that a nazi building is so black.

# August 8, 2009 at 10:54

Get over yourself, the building contains ample information about Hamsun’s view on Nazism. It’s an important part of his history, and it’s on display at the museum!
Hamsun’s work is considered important for the whole world – and his work deserves recognition despite his politics.

On the other hand his views on Nazism were strange and largely motivated by his anti-British views. Germany was always more important to Norway culturally than England, this changed after WWII.
Most of our important painters and writers lived in Germany [long before the war].

# August 8, 2009 at 17:52

Mauro says:

One of the few architects that produce architecture…
I don´t think it´s a nazi building, sorry ´bout that Mr. Cheap.

# August 8, 2009 at 11:16

milan says:

Real Architectural poetry…Steven Holl in his essential.Beautiful.

# August 8, 2009 at 17:15

Andrés Briceño says:

This is an amayzing building, simple, expressing.
It’s a piece of work

# August 10, 2009 at 09:27

sullka says:

The building seems to work, it fits the program, to me it’s somehow awkward, a little to theatrical, but overall I like it, it looks inviting.

Now, I also think someone should call a child protecting agency, I think Steven Holl is exploiting his children, they’re being forced to make his sketches, probably without pay.

# August 10, 2009 at 10:34

darth says:

the bart simpson museum. love it.

# August 10, 2009 at 11:13

trimtab21 says:

it reminds me too much of a fortress or rampart tower with those narrow windows. And all that bare concrete is dreadful…that idiom was warn out in the 1980’s.

# August 10, 2009 at 21:10

There’s not a single square-meter of bare concrete in this project! The interior is painted white concrete. There’s a pic of bare concrete from during the construction of the building. I think you would find bare concrete during construction in many projects!

# August 12, 2009 at 15:11

pablo cid barraza says: