Snøhetta architects won the competition for the design of this educational building back in 2005. At that time it was intended for the Academy of Arts, one of the two most important specialized universities in the country, but this year, together with the Grieg Academy of Music, it joined the Faculty of Fine Arts, Music and Design (KMD) University of Bergen.
The project itself has also changed: initially it was
a white building with bold outlines, but later the customer - the state - for reasons of economy demanded a complete redesign. The result is a slightly asymmetrical "block" lined with patterned aluminum plates at the site of the Munck crane factory near the fjord shore; they seem to adhere to facades with varying degrees of density. Over time, under the influence of a humid climate, a layer of oxide will appear on them.
The façade is also enlivened by windows of various shapes and sizes, including consoles-bay windows, in the interior of which small recreational areas are arranged. In addition, the project includes an old stone wall that still stood on the territory of the plant, but the main monument to the industrial past is the Munck bridge crane, located in the largest hall of the faculty, Design. This space is the full height of the building (23 m, area 1300 m2) can be used for a variety of purposes, both university and citywide: it is located at the intersection of two planning axes of the building, public and faculty, and its large glazed window connects the interior with the surroundings. The new "plaza" nearby serves the same purpose.
Around the Project Hall are the remaining 410 rooms, including 32 large workshops that can also be used for exhibitions. They are designed to work with wood, ceramics, metal, plaster, engraving, textiles, video and sound art, photographs, 3D modeling and printing. On the second floor there is a Munck cafe with an open terrace, a library and a library of materials, on the third - administration offices; on the fourth - most of the student workshops and studios, seminars, teachers' offices.
Total area of 14 800 m2 designed for 350 students - artists and designers. Musicians, composers, curators, music therapists, musicologists, future music and fine arts teachers study in other KMD buildings. In total, the faculty has 600 students and 190 professors and other employees.
From the area of the plot of 4.6 hectares, 3.6 hectares are open space: these are landscaping, plazas and parking. Given the rainy climate of Bergen, special attention has been paid to collecting and recycling rainwater in order to reduce the load on the city's sewage system. From the paved squares and from the roof, water flows into two "swampy" gardens with local flora (zhoster, blackthorn, blueberry, willow, ferns, swimsuit, cattail, meadowsweet). In addition, a cistern is arranged under the terrace of the cafe, which can take up to 90 liters per second from the roof in a storm; from there, water enters a reservoir with a volume of 500 m3.
