"Wood & Earth", A Unesco Visitor Center in Norway

Concept

The proposal envisions a visitor center that connects the stave church, the world heritage, the cultural environment and the landscape, its strength and the perennial nature of it. “Jord”, the rammed-earth volumes, symbolizes the landscape formations of the Lustrafjord while “Tre”, the thin wood structure surrounding the monoliths, respectfully sitting over the dramatic slope, reminds us of the delicacy of the local architecture represented by the stave church. The building connects cultural and natural heritage in a holistic experience, blurring the limits of the outdoors and indoors while reflecting UNESCO's values.

“Jord og Tre” wants to become part of the landscape. The museum stands on pilotis to allow panoramic connection with the fjord. By hanging the public deck above the fjord, the museum gives 360 degrees views over the breathtaking landscape. The long balcony running along the facade evokes the feeling that the public area is part of the fjord and the natural surroundings. The exhibition rooms and employee areas are directed more inwards, distributed within the rammed-earth volumes. These volumes are fully designed for intimacy and learning.

The building is subordinate to the historical and cultural heritage environment of the stave church. Unpretentious, “Jord og Tre” sits graciously over the landscape disturbing the landscape as little as possible with its presence. In this way the visitor centre gives all the attention to the stave church while inviting the visitor to reflect and wonder.

Program

Programmatically, “Jord og Tre” is organized into two levels.
The lobby functions as a hub in the visitor journey. From the lobby, the visitor can directly go to the cafe on one side or the exhibitions on the other side. The decision of positioning the exhibition spaces at the end of the building comes from the requirement of having the rest of the spaces open to the public without requiring a ticket. The cafe can also be open independently of the museum opening areas having its own entrance. It features a generous terrace to experience the view of the fjord.

Materiality & Sustainability

Earth and wood are robust and durable materials, permanent through time and space.
This building wants to have the smallest possible ecological footprint by sitting on pilotis and using the rammed-earth construction technique for the main volume, which uses locally available materials that have low embodied energy and generate very little waste.