The original building of the museum and cinema, designed by Erling Viksjö, built in 1964, is recognized as a monument of its era. In 1994, adding the volume of a cultural center to it, the architects of the Snøhetta bureau sought to actualize the image of the complex, which became the main venue for cultural events for the Winter Olympic Games: then the brutalist building was supplemented with a “wavy” structure sheathed with wood on slender supports. The second addition, completed in 2016, refreshed the bureau's characteristic symbolic language of architecture, emphasizing the contrast of volumes and at the same time connecting them. The reconstruction made it possible to turn the complex into an integral cultural space for the city.
The leitmotif of all three parts of the project is a synthesis of fine art, architecture and landscape, therefore, the search for harmony and nuances of interaction of pure forms has become the main task of architects. As a result of the first renovation, the brutal structure of the 60s benefited from the contrast with the light undulating shape that reflected the landscape of the Norwegian mountains. The buildings were united by a bridge-passage and a garden of arts under it. Borde Breivik filled the garden with stone sculptural forms and built a water cascade from them, conveying the beauty of the local nature. And thanks to the latest transformation, the complex has received a futuristic accent - a shiny cube hovering over a glass base.
The new annex adjoins the first building and stands out for its metal "wrapper" against the background of its concrete walls and the wooden finish of the second building. The façade is the last creation of Breivik, who died in 2016: in it the sculptor embodied the motive of a shooting star, reflecting the contribution to Norwegian art of the artist from Lillehammer Jakob Weidemann (inside the new building is the Weidemann Hall dedicated to his work). The shell made of polished stainless steel with a relief depth of up to a quarter of a meter changes its appearance depending on the lighting. The volume of the hall as a console protrudes above the glass base, in which the children's studio-workshop is located.
The cinema, which occupied the original volume of the 60s, also underwent renovation: the layout was improved and the interior was restored. The transparent wall of the vestibule was cleared of a late extension, which made it possible to return the panel by Odd Tandberg to the urban context - according to the original plan. Two halls were added: one - in the existing volume, the other - under the garden of arts, where an additional passage between the buildings also appeared. The total expansion area was 1700 m2.
