The building, whose main facade has a bright red and auburn cladding, was built on the most important transport route in northern Norway - the road connecting the mainland with the Lofoten Islands.
And although formally the new facility is called a weight control post, in fact it is a whole communication hub, which includes a cafe, a shop, a bus station, and an information center for tourists. However, from the point of view of logistics and development of the entire region, it is the axle load control post of freight transport that plays the most important role - its appearance makes it possible for regular transit of trucks from the mainland to the islands and vice versa.
The task set for the architects was complicated by the fact that they had to design not just a road infrastructure object, but a volume that would be close to the picturesque national park. Moreover, in this case, the park does not mean a forest or even fields with a picturesque river, but a harsh truly northern landscape dominated by snow-capped mountain peaks.
The ridge of peaks has become the main source of inspiration for the architects - the roof of the new complex has a complex broken shape and is pulled down to the ground along the edges. It is made of untreated concrete and is partially greened, so that the building is related to the surrounding mountains not only by a dynamic silhouette, but also by a coloristic solution - in winter gray concrete echoes with snow-capped peaks, and in spring and summer the vegetation on the roof will organically combine with green slopes.
And so that the building does not completely merge with its surroundings, the architects painted its main facade facing the highway in the brightest colors - fiery red and orange vertical panels alternate each other, making the new complex visible from afar.
A. M.
