Nobel Prize winner in the Arctic circle

Planks of dark wood on the walls and long strips of grass on the roof recall the more typical elements of traditional Norwegian architecture: tarred walls and peat roofs covered in grassy turf.

Planks of dark wood on the walls and long strips of grass on the roof recall the more typical elements of traditional Norwegian architecture: tarred walls and peat roofs covered in grassy turf. Inside the building, walls in raw cement painted white are evocatively lit with diagonal rays of light whose angle changes with the passing of the seasons. T

These are the key elements in the new museum designed by Steven Holl in Hamarøy, Norway. Almost level with the Arctic Circle, it is dedicated to Nobel Prize winner writer Knut Hamsun, who spent part of his life in the area. Designed to offer visitors an intense spiritual experience through light and space, the small building is immersed in the peace and solitude of the Scandinavian countryside.

On the outside, just a few elements interrupt the minimalism of the dark-coloured box: a balcony with extraordinary acoustic properties and a small viewing platform. Following over ten years of controversy, the museum has finally received permission to commence building work, which should start in 2008 and be completed the following year, in time for the 150th anniversary of Hamsun’s birth. Elena Sommariva

http://www.stevenholl.com

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Nobel Prize winner in the Arctic circle

Planks of dark wood on the walls and long strips of grass on the roof recall the more typical elements of traditional Norwegian architecture: tarred walls and peat roofs covered in grassy turf.

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