1st ProofTitle: BA: Architectural Design
Job No: PD0710-67/4028Chapter 3 final (3.4)_.qxd:layouts to chapter one 7/24/10 11:07 AM Page 130
The design projectDevelopment and detailSnøhettaSnøhetta is an integrated landscape, interior and architecture
practice based in Oslo, Norway, and New York, USA. The
practice is known for its international cultural projects, many
of them large in scale, complexity and cultural significance.
All of its work, whether large or small scale, retains a strong
link between landscape and architecture, and demonstrates
the importance of architecture’s social dimension. The site
and context for every project are considered to be unique,
which is a major inspiration for Snøhetta’s design work.
The directors, Craig Dykers and Kjetil Thorsen, teach in Oslo,
New York and Innsbruck and they lecture internationally.
Many of Snøhetta’s projects are culturally, technically,
spatially and programmatically complex. They require the
involvement of many different individuals and organisations,
from politicians to pest control. The New Opera House, Oslo,
completed in 2008, is part of an urban transformation of
Oslo’s waterfront. It is the workplace for approximately 600
employees from more than 50 professions. It took ten years
to plan, fund and build the $750 million structure, which has
a floor area of 38,500m^2 (415,000 square feet).
The Tubaloon is a sculptural band shelter for the Kongsberg
Jazz Festival in Norway. The textile structure is a hybrid of
lightweight steel tensile members and pneumatic beams,
which can be easily stored and installed in a couple of days,
ready for the annual festival.
The National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion
will be a cultural institution on the site of the former World
Trade Center in New York. The design and programme of
the building have been subject to many revisions as political
pressure and public sentiment adjust their intentions for the
sensitive site. The current evolution of the design will function
as an entrance connecting the Memorial at street level with
the exhibition space below.Text
1st ProofTitle: BA: Architectural Design
Job No: PD0710-67/4028Chapter 3 final (3.4)_.qxd:layouts to chapter one 7/26/10 7:38 AM Page 130