The guide, which was presented last week at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway, first of all demonstrates how the country can use the oil resource to develop a man-made habitable environment and, as a result, modern architecture. Over the fifty years that have passed since the start of mining, Norway has not only turned into one of the most comfortable countries in Europe, but has also developed its own architectural policy, in which attention plays a significant role in the harsh, but breathtakingly beautiful northern landscape and, no less, to the real, a practical solution to environmental problems. And not just talking about them, which was emphasized at the presentation.
Modern architecture in Norway is indeed a developed and varied phenomenon: it is wider than the construction of the capital and more interesting than the generally recognized "stars" - the famous tourist route, which is certainly beautiful, and the underwater restaurant of Snohetta, which is heatedly discussed this year. The last twenty years covered in the guide have yielded 150 notable objects, collected in 7 chapters by region, provided with photographs of each, as well as maps, routes and GPS coordinates encoded in QR codes, as is customary in the DOM publishers guidebook series. … With such a guide, you immediately want to go to explore the Norwegian expanses - the journey will be well-informed. UT
The guide was published in English and Russian, you can buy it on the publisher's website, the Russian version costs 1300 rubles, the English version is 38 euros.
Publishing an introductory chapter on Norwegian architecture 2000-2020 with permission from the author and publisher.
Anna Martovitskaya
Benefits, strength and beauty of nature
Perhaps it would not be an exaggeration to say that even at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, only advanced specialists in Scandinavia knew about such a phenomenon as "Norwegian architecture", while among the general public Norway was popular mainly as a country of fjords and auroras, and also the home of many winter sports. Twenty years later, the situation has changed dramatically: the works of modern Norwegian architects attract colossal (fully deserved!) Attention, becoming for tourists the same attractor as, for example, the famous waterfalls or the picturesque cliff "Trolltunga". Norway's enviable prosperity has created economic preconditions for the successful development of architecture and the construction industry, and a well-thought-out state policy in this area and effective mechanisms of socially responsible business have directed efforts in the most effective direction. Works of modern architecture have become an integral part of the development and renewal of Norwegian cities - regardless of the scale of the latter, this guidebook serves as an eloquent evidence of this, dedicated to buildings implemented not only in the largest megacities of the country of fjords, but also in a whole scattering of tiny settlements. However, first things first.
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zooming 1/7 Anna Martovitskaya. Architectural Guide Norway 2000-2020. M., 2019 Courtesy of DOM publishers
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zooming 2/7 Anna Martovitskaya. Architectural Guide Norway 2000-2020. M., 2019 Courtesy of DOM publishers
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zooming 3/7 Anna Martovitskaya. Architectural Guide Norway 2000-2020. M., 2019 Courtesy of DOM publishers
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zooming 4/7 Anna Martovitskaya. Architectural Guide Norway 2000-2020. M., 2019 Courtesy of DOM publishers
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zooming 5/7 Anna Martovitskaya. Architectural Guide Norway 2000-2020. M., 2019 Courtesy of DOM publishers
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zooming 6/7 Anna Martovitskaya. Architectural Guide Norway 2000-2020. M., 2019 Courtesy of DOM publishers
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zooming 7/7 Anna Martovitskaya. Architectural Guide Norway 2000-2020. M., 2019 Courtesy of DOM publishers
Due to its geographical location between Europe and the Arctic, Norway has always had a harsh climate and, as a result, has never been overpopulated. Its population density is less than 14 people per square kilometer, while in neighboring Denmark, which is much more compact in its territory, this figure is almost a hundred times higher! Only four percent of the total area of Norway is arable land, and due to the extremely mountainous terrain, these areas are often very distant from each other. So it comes as no surprise that most Norwegian cities - large and small - are located in the vicinity of rocky landscapes, and the history of their development is the history of survival in harsh natural conditions. Under these conditions, there was never any talk of luxury: laconicism and rationality were inherent in the national architecture of Norway long before the paradigm of modernism took root. Everything changed in 1970, when oil production began in Norway, and it turned from one of the poorest countries in Europe into a very wealthy power. GDP per capita has grown more than 25 times, and Norway has enormous financial opportunities to invest in its own well-being. In this process, a decisive role was undoubtedly played by the national character of the Norwegians, focused primarily on the practicality of the decisions made and implemented, and the strong social democratic foundations of society, which put the principles of sustainability, environmental friendliness and equality at the forefront. Today Norway is a country with perhaps the most effective state program for supporting architecture and design, thanks to which high-quality designed and implemented housing objects, office complexes, public and infrastructural structures serve as one of the key means of systematically improving the lives of citizens.
In 2009, the document "Norwegian Architecture Policy" was adopted, which formulated the main priorities for the development of national architecture: environmental friendliness, high quality design solutions, respect for the architectural heritage and cultural environment, as well as competent promotion of knowledge about architecture among all sectors of society. The effectiveness of these formulations lies in the fact that in Norway they are not just declared, but implemented, and as much as possible everywhere. The architectural policy is implemented with the participation of more than 10 ministries, in collaboration with private businesses and with the maximum involvement of end users and local residents. Bottom line: Approximately one third of all new buildings in Norway today are built on individual architectural designs, which are usually selected through a competition and then subject to public consultation. The result of such a democratic architectural process in every sense is the building that is distinguished by the expressiveness of the volumetric-spatial solution, clarity and precision of proportions, sophistication in the selection of materials, as well as a tactful attitude towards nature and a pronounced social orientation.
Of course, Oslo has been and remains the trendsetter in the national architecture of Norway as the capital - a city on the territory of which several large-scale state programs are being implemented at once, serving as a standard for the rest of the country. First of all, it is the “City by the Fjord” program, adopted in 2000, designed to saturate with all sorts of functions and thereby include the Oslo coastline, traditionally occupied by industry and the port, in the active city life. The historically formed gigantic area of docks, shipyards and piers today serves as a colossal resource for reprogramming the territory. And although the revival and return of Oslo of these spaces began in the 1980s, when the first large shipyard was withdrawn from the Akerbrugge area, this process became truly ubiquitous precisely in the 2000s, when it was decided to include the entire coastal zone in the program. cities with a total area of 225 hectares. On the site of industrial buildings, highways and railways, offices, housing, cultural institutions, as well as various recreational spaces are created, strung along the Havnepromenaden walking and cycling route. All new buildings are designed to be as energy efficient as possible, reducing traffic flows (due to the construction of underground and even underwater tunnels) and landscaping will also contribute to improving the environmental situation. It is also important that the creation of new mixed-use neighborhoods (from the iconic Barcode) and the famous Sørenga to the yet unrealized Filipstad) not only revives the city center, but also helps prevent further suburban sprawl. At the same time, the most thought-out design code for each of the new districts and strict control over its observance guarantee a humane scale of their development and the preservation of the existing visual ties of the “old” Oslo with the sea. The most important component of the “City by the Fjord” is also a cultural function, designed to add iconic public buildings to the capital's newly formed sea façade. Its most famous incarnations are undoubtedly the buildings of the National Opera Workshop Snøhetta and the Astrup-Fearnley Museum of Contemporary Art (the only building of Renzo Piano in Scandinavia), but in the very near future this list will be supplemented by a number of equally striking objects - so, in 2020 they will open its doors are the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design (Kleihues + Schuwerk), the Munch Museum (Estudio Herreros, LPO Arkitekter) and the City Public Library. Deichman (Lund Hagem Architect, Atelier Oslo).
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zooming 1/6 Anna Martovitskaya. Architectural Guide Norway 2000-2020. M., 2019 Courtesy of DOM publishers
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zooming 2/6 Anna Martovitskaya. Architectural Guide Norway 2000-2020. M., 2019 Courtesy of DOM publishers
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zooming 3/6 Anna Martovitskaya. Architectural Guide Norway 2000-2020. M., 2019 Courtesy of DOM publishers
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zooming 4/6 Anna Martovitskaya. Architectural Guide Norway 2000-2020. M., 2019 Courtesy of DOM publishers
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zooming 5/6 Anna Martovitskaya. Architectural Guide Norway 2000-2020. M., 2019 Courtesy of DOM publishers
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zooming 6/6 Anna Martovitskaya. Architectural Guide Norway 2000-2020. M., 2019 Courtesy of DOM publishers
The same principles - the creation of the most environmentally friendly in their "stuffing" and human-scale buildings in terms of dimensions - are the basis for the transformation of other industrial areas within Oslo. For example, the former Vulkan factory area, where the foundry was once located, has been turned into a multifunctional, vibrant quarter, in which authentic industrial buildings are organically adjacent to works of modern architecture. By the way, it is here that the first project of the national program FutureBuilt (headquarters of Bellona, architect LPO Arkitekter) has been implemented, within the framework of which 50 low-energy and zero-emission buildings are being built in the Norwegian capital and its suburbs. Ten years after the launch of FutureBuilt, there are already dozens of implementations, and as a program in the framework of which innovative technologies and materials are systematically applied in the design and construction of objects of various purposes, it has become no less an important milestone in the development of national architecture than the already mentioned "City by the Fjord" … Speaking about the transformation of the industrial territories of Oslo, one cannot fail to mention the Nydalen district: where half-deserted production prevailed ten years ago, today a residential and office quarter, stunning in its energy, has been created, in the form of which old brick buildings organically coexist with modern concrete buildings, glass and wood, and the comfortable embankments of the river were continued in the form of squares and parks. “Between greenery and water” - this is how Oslo is often characterized, and in its modern incarnation the city really strives to make this balance the basis for the development of both old and new districts.
Following Oslo, almost all cities in Norway have taken up the baton of rethinking the former industrial and port zones, whether they are large Stavanger and Bergen or smaller ones such as Larvik, Porsgrunn, Kristiansand, Mandal and many others. Traditionally living in fishing and shipping, these cities today use the spaces of shipyards and docks to implement iconic projects - usually for social and cultural purposes - that make the life of the local community more diverse, create new points of attraction on the map of Norway, and in the long term serve as a catalyst for further positive transformations of the adjacent territories.
The experience of the city of Drammen, located 40 km from Oslo, is extremely indicative in this sense. Since the first half of the 19th century, it has been a major industrial and port center in Norway, as well as one of the key timber export destinations. The city owes such a success in the industrial field primarily to its location on the Drammenselva River, and it was she who suffered from the industrial boom almost the most: by the mid-1980s, the level of its pollution exceeded critical, and both banks were completely built up with factories and ports. -repair complexes. By these territories, the city was virtually cut off from its waterway, and the depressing ecological state of the river made isolation doubly difficult and painful. Of course, the city alone would never have dealt with this problem, but the Ministry of the Environment intervened, launching the river regeneration program. Another most important federal initiative for the city was the construction of a new highway - all transit highways were removed from the center of Drammen: underground tunnels and sections of a ring road were built for their re-laying. The cleared river (and today you can swim and fish in Drammenselva) and the center freed from the flow of transit traffic have become the most powerful resources for further development for the city. On the abandoned territories of the former factories, Drammen launched active construction, very closely following the developed master plan, the main principle of which was the balanced development of these sites. And again: balance is understood as a reasonable combination of not only functions, but also built-up / free spaces. Social and commercial facilities here always coexist with housing, and new construction - with comfortable public spaces of various formats (parks, squares, embankments, squares, etc.). So, on the left bank of the river, along which one of the transit highways used to pass, Elveparken was laid out (partly on the embankments), which became a continuation of the main square of the city with its shops, cafes and town hall. And opposite it, in the former main industrial zone of the city of Grønland, the main construction was launched: in the first 15 years of the new century, low-rise residential areas, office complexes, restaurants, shops, cafes grew along the right bank of the river. A bus station was built in place of the former extensive parking lots, and a pedestrian underground tunnel connected the new area with the main railway station in Drammen. The Ypsilon pedestrian bridge (2008, architect Arne Eggen Architects) connected the shores to each other - a snow-white cable-stayed structure, shaped like a Y, won many professional awards (for example, the European Steel Bridges Award) and became a symbol of Drammen's renewal. The spectacular silhouette of the bridge today is one of the most photographed objects in the city, and the Papirbredden Science and Education Park on the right bank at its foot is the embodiment of the successful transformation of the former industrial zone (LPO Arkitekter).
Continuing the conversation about the global priorities for the development of Norwegian architecture, one cannot fail to mention the conscious choice in favor of environmentally friendly building materials, which the architects of the country of fjords have long become a habit of. If an object can be built from wood, there is no doubt that it will be done. In modern Norway, buildings of any typology and area are erected from wood (both natural and thermally treated), from the most intimate, like street pavilions, to large-scale residential complexes, such as the Waterfront in Stavanger (AART Architects + Kraftværk), and this the material can serve both for the virtuoso integration of the new building into the existing environment (see, for example, the Breiavannet Park residential complex in the same Stavanger (Helen & Hard), and for the embodiment of the most daring plastic experiments (Rundeskogen residential complex in Sannes (dRMM Architects, Helen & Hard) or to give public spaces the necessary tactility and warmth (see the Sørenga open sea basin project, in which Kebony plays a key role - a modified wood produced in Norway that is incredibly resistant to moisture, temperature changes and microorganisms It is also fundamentally important that, while enthusiastically exploring aesthetes Because of the technical and constructive capabilities of wood, Norwegian architects continue the centuries-old history of using this material, thereby creating an amazing symbiosis of tradition and modernity.
In fact, Norway's 1000-year-old tradition of wood construction has never been interrupted, nor has the tradition of emphatically careful landscaping. If there is a difference in relief on the site, the Norwegian architect will beat it as masterfully as possible, and if a beautiful view opens from the construction site, the building will most likely be completely subordinated to inspiring contemplation. This tactful approach to the landscape is regulated by building codes and regulations, and for part of Norway has even become the main principle of long-term development. We are talking about the federal program "National tourist roads", designed to combine the most famous sights of Norway into logical routes in terms of routing and length and provide them with convenient infrastructure. Launched in 1994 and running until 2029, the program is a highly ingenious mechanism for promoting heritage, in which local architectural traditions play a primary role.
The project had two main super tasks: to give a powerful impetus to the development of the tourism industry, thereby providing even the most remote settlements from the capital with a sufficient number of jobs, and to radically improve the image of Norway in the global arena, to emphasize its originality and attractiveness. In the structure of the State Administration of Norwegian Roads (Statens vegvesen), a department of the same name was allocated, which was engaged in the development of routes, naturally, with the help of architects, engineers, landscape designers, geographers and specialists in the field of tourism. In total, 18 routes were drawn up with a total length of 2151 km. In 2005, the Norwegian Parliament adopted the program for implementation, giving it the status of a national one. Fully "National Tourist Routes" should open in 2029, although today most of them are functioning.
The main expense item under the program was the development of the road network, thanks to which, in fact, an alternative to the largest transport arteries appeared in the country, and many small settlements, especially those located on the rugged coastline of Norway, have finally found a convenient connection with each other and with the center. … An equally important aspect of the accessibility of this or that route was its livability: having found what people should go to a remote corner of Norway for, and providing them with an unhindered way there, the program thought out the infrastructure of each object just as carefully. Convenient parking lots, observation decks and recreation areas, toilets, trash cans and information stands - this is a mandatory minimum for any of them, in some cases supplemented by cafes and mini-hotels. And here architecture came to the fore: realizing the upcoming volume of construction, the initiators of the program decided to turn it around in their favor. It was architecture, as well as contemporary art, that were named the same priorities for the development of "National Tourist Roads", as well as the preservation of natural and historical attractions, and one of the program's mottos was formulated as "Design of its time". The cornerstone of the project was the provision that all newly erected elements should be of the highest quality and at the same time not dominate the landscape, but organically complement it.
In total, 250 objects should be implemented within the framework of the "National Tourist Roads". 150 of them have already been built, and to a large extent, it is they who today form the image of Norway as an advanced architectural power. The program included such international and national stars as Peter Zumthor (Memorial in Vardø, 2011), Snøhetta (observation deck of Eggum on one of the islands of the Lofoten archipelago, 2007), Bureau Jarmund / Vigsnæs (community center on the Lofoten Islands, 2006 and the observation deck at the Steinsdalsfossen waterfall, 2014) and 70 ° N arkitektur (viewing platforms and recreation areas on the Lofoten Islands, 2004-2006). Of course, the most famous building among all of these is the memorial, created by Peter Zumthor together with the sculptor Louise Bourgeois. And if for Bourgeois history became the key theme of the installation (in the 17th century in Vardø, 91 people were sentenced to be burned at the stake on charges of witchcraft), then Zumthor drew inspiration exclusively from landscape and tradition: the basis of the construction was wooden frames for drying cod, on which the canvas shell is stretched. In it, the architect made 91 windows (according to the number of victims), each of which has a light bulb - exactly the same bulbs in their windows are still lit by local residents: even in the conditions of a polar day, they signal that the working day is over and the inhabitants came back home. In 2016, Zumthor completed his second project under the National Tourist Roads: in the Allmannayuwet Gorge, on the site of the former zinc mines, a Swiss architect built a museum, in whose appearance and design local materials and landscape also became defining.
The existing building, albeit a slightly different era, became the starting point for the Snøhetta bureau: the German fortifications of the Second World War in the Eggum mountain range were turned by the architects into a resting place with a kiosk and a toilet. The laconic wooden volume seems to be pushed out of the stone amphitheater, and the brutal walls of the latter made of gabions serve as a unifying motive for the entire site, including the design of the parking lot and the observation deck. Jarmund / Vigsnæs and 70 ° N arkitektur, on the contrary, dealt with undeveloped landscapes and intervened in them with the help of wooden structures: the former built a pavilion for cyclists in the image and likeness of huts for fishermen, the latter created a laconic platform that protects visitors from the wind and creating a comfortable environment for bird watching, which with its external shape and stepped structure echoes the hilly landscape.
It is important that it is the National Tourist Roads that have become the ticket to life for many young architectural firms in the country: Jensen & Skodvin, Reiulf Ramstad Architects, 3RW, Saunders & Wilhelmsen are just a few of those whose career took off after the implementation of one or several projects., one way or another glorifying the beauty of national landscapes. In this sense, one cannot fail to recall the Stegastein observation deck on the Aurlandsfjellet route, which brought world fame to the architect Tom Sanders: a place intended for exploring breathtaking views of the fjord and mountains is a wooden console raised above the cliff, the corner of which is rounded, so that from the abyss of observers separated only by a barely visible rim made of transparent glass. An equally striking example is the observation deck on the Troll Ladder, designed by Reulf Ramstad. Floating above a steep rocky arch, a platform with rust-covered rims alternating with fully transparent inserts, a few years ago bypassed all the architectural media as an example of innovative design, while perfectly shading the harsh and majestic landscapes of the Norwegian fjords. Ramstad has earned many awards and accolades for the information center on the same route: elongated triangular volumes of raw concrete with green roofs captivate with a combination of constructive courage and visual modesty. Using exclusively modern materials and forms, the architect accurately reads the design code of the surrounding area. His tourist route on Selvika Beach (2013) can be considered just as bold and at the same time accurate in the context: the structure of rough concrete is a long and winding ramp with rather high sides, smoothly descending from the highway to the seashore. Where it would be possible to build short bridges, the architect prefers a complex spiral structure, believing that it better attunes the traveler to contemplation of the landscape. Bumpers allow travelers to pause anywhere, in addition, in their "folds" they easily found a place for a picnic area, parking lots, toilets and other things. And it is important that, despite its rather impressive dimensions, the building fits perfectly into the landscape: the bends of the paths repeat the structure of the nearby highway, and its plastic and emphatically rough surface texture resemble megaliths.
It must be said that almost every architect who participated in the National Tourist Roads program has built several objects for it. This is due to the fact that the program does not hold competitions for each of the sites, but in the prequalification mode selects exactly the designers with whom it wants to work. So, for example, Lars Berge in 2010 created toilet cubicles made of concrete and wood on the Flotane mountain route - inclined, laconic, they themselves look like boulders, which are enough in these places; in 2011, he built a winding pedestrian path along the Vedakhaugane route, along which an equally whimsical winding wooden bench was made, and in 2013 he reconstructed the former sawmill there, turning it into an art center and a museum.
Karl-Viggo Holmebakk has been collaborating with the project since its inception. In 1997, it was he who created the observation deck Nedre Oscarshaug, into the structure of which the first art installation was integrated - a double-leaf glass map that helps to identify the surrounding mountains and at the same time protects from the wind. In 2006, he came up with a system of spiral paths and viewing platforms for the Rondane route, which literally hovers between centuries-old pines (and during the construction only one tree was cut down, which seems to be a real miracle given the scale of the created attraction). In 2008, Holmebakk once again applied this move - in the neighboring Strembu he designed another complex viewpoint in the form of spirals, only this time in the concrete sides were also carved seats and tables, and in 2010 he built a waiting room on the ferry dock. covering the traditional rectangular volume with a futuristic fiberglass roof, which works like a lighthouse in the evening. The architect is currently involved in the renovation program of the area around Vøringsfossen, one of the most famous waterfalls in Norway, where by 2020 a whole network of viewing platforms, paths, recreation areas and mini-hotels will be created.
Every 5-8 years, the composition of the "architectural team" working within the program is completely renewed, and well-known architects have no advantages in the selection: if they win, it is thanks to ideas and suggestions, not their name. It is also important that, acting as a customer of architectural objects, the National Tourist Roads program does not put forward any mandatory requirements for building materials. And yet, the palette of completed buildings attracts attention with its well-known uniformity: wood (and mainly local larch), raw concrete, natural stone, glass, corten. Wherever possible, the architects included the structures already on the site in the projected complexes (for example, the skeleton of an old stone house in Nesseby, which was used as an ammunition warehouse during the war, became part of a larger composition serving as a place of rest and meditation - arch. Margrete B. Friis, 2006; or two wooden sheds in Sognefjellshytta, which are connected by a new wooden volume - architect Jensen & Skodvin Arkitektkontor, 2014). They also tried to attract local production: welded steel plates, as in the design of "boxes" for bird watching, installed in the valley of the Snefjord River - arch. PUSHAK arkitekter, 2005; woodworkers - to create structures and cover the pedestrian bridges Tungeneset and Bergsbotn on Senja Island - arch. Code Arkitektur, 2008 and 2010. Such an attentive attitude to the context is understandable, because in this case it is it that is the meaning-forming element of each project, pushing architects not so much to self-expression, but to co-creation and search for the hidden qualities of a particular place. Norway's lesson is that such work can be done centrally, nationwide, contributing to the development of the national economy, local architecture and international image at the same time.
