Kristiansand, Norway
Designed by Mestres Wåge Arquitectes, BAX Studio, and Mendoza Partida, the new 8,500-square-meter Nordic art museum in Kristiansand is a world-class cultural venue housed in a transformed former grain silo.
The former building, designed between 1933 and 1935 by architects Arne Korsmo and Sverre Aasland, prominent figures of the modern movement in Norway, the museum is housed in a large concrete cylinder structure located on the island of Odderøya in Kristiansand, Norway.
The architects faced the challenge of preserving the heritage value of the 1930s grain silo while transforming it into a contemporary art museum.
The structure, originally composed of 30 concrete cylinders capable of holding up to 15,000 tons of grain and boasting an interior height of 37 meters, has been cut and carved to create a vast reception space reminiscent of Europe’s great cathedrals.
The space is divided into 25 exhibition rooms organized on three floors, most of them in two adjoining extensions (one of them rebuilt again due to its advanced state of deterioration), occupying an area of 3,300 square meters.
A space that achieves its unity through the exposure of the exposed concrete of the structure and that gains its value as a space thanks to the contrast with the exposed elements, generating a “passive white box architecture” according to the architects.
The second floor features a digital gallery, conservation areas, offices, and a “cultural school” for children.
Additionally, there is a rooftop bar surrounded by terraces enclosed with glass cylinders, which replicate the building’s modulation and create the appearance of a large lighthouse.
As part of the new cultural neighborhood of Kristiansand, Kunstsilo’s ambition is reflected in its sheer size and scale, which is somewhat disproportionate to the city.
Project: Kunstsilo
Architects: Mestres Wåge Arquitectes, MendozaPartida, and BAX studio
Lead Architects: Magnus Wägue, Maria Mestres, Héctor Mendoza, Mara Partida, and Boris Bezan
Original Architects: Arne Korsmo and Sverre Aasland
Design Team: Oscar Espinosa, Olga Bombac, and Alejandro Álvarez
Client: Kristiansand Kommune, SKMU
Photographers: Alan Williams Photography
