Strømmen, Norway
Designed by Dutch architect Darius Reznek and a design team at Karres en Brands, the new National Logging Museum and Wetland Experience Center, located just 30 minutes away from Oslo, will be Norway’s foremost destination for cultural and natural heritage.
Darius Reznek was recently awarded a 2020 European 40 Under 40 Award from The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and The Chicago Athenaeum.
The Longhouse ties culture and nature together, in a simple and clear gesture.
The design is based on the concept of celebrating and promoting the distinctive delta environment of Fedsund with its strong relationship between people and water.
The proposal approaches building as a landscape, focusing on framing nature and generating spaces for interaction, rather than iconic architecture.
An accurately placed volume that its simplicity contrasts with the heterogeneous surroundings.
The closer the beholder, the more the building reveals its quality and craftsmanship.
The structure is clearly articulated by the iconic “gateway:”—a framing gesture marking the entrance and main public route through the building acting as a curtain to the landscape.
With carefully choreographed routes, users are guided in a 3D helix-like movement; unraveling the museum narrative while offering glimpses in adjacent functions and landscapes.
The integration of the volumes in one building is a symbol of the coexistence of knowledge and culture and breaks down the social boundaries.
The Longhouse becomes a center of attraction.
Project: Longhouse
Architects: Karres en Brands
Design Team: Darius Reznek, Bart Brands, Natalia Gruszczynska, Michala Lietavova, Sander
Vedder and Oana Paraschiv
Client: MiA Museene i Akershus