Norway’s national museum. . . . Bowl of national values

Bowl of national values.

Between ionic channels and Norvegian fjords

Collective memory and meeting place. Station-point.

This place / other place.

An island in space and memory.

The building was designed due to respect of current values. The shape of the new museum was expressed  to  extend and enrich the encoded urban structure and higligh the central core of it.

The building of a new museum  is represented like a single sculpture, a bowl of national values. With a help of metaphor of a bowl, the shape is being stated as a clear sign, identifying the national property o Norway. Valuable relationships are not intacted by the changed function of a place, but are strenghtened by a new architectural ensemble.

Research of a composition and volume closely relates to current situation.

Evaluating the formed cultural context of Oslo city, a plastic composition ends with a certain point  – a museum. The volume of a museum is like an essential shape, summarizing all other shapes and supplements an encoded triangula Rådhus and Akershus fortress. It becomes a third conceptual end point.

The plot of idea is between Antic and classical traditions, whitch are characteristical to the place. Classical proportion traditions are continued and seen at the Town Hall and other historical buildings in the area.

A dialogue between visible and hidden. Multilayered shape is higlighted verticaly and horizontaly. Outside is a fragile glass cilinder shape. Inner space – of a monumental funnel shape. Arcadia is included to strenghten a sence of relationship with local architecture. A building is like a circle, whitch can be walked around from outside and inside. Next to the deep harbour, appears a new simbolic water pool, going around the building.

Reflecting a loacal historical shape and perspectives, a new free space is found – the roof of national gallery, like a main square of a new complex. This lifted up open space, doesn‘t deny Rådhusplassen, Royal park, but enriches the centre of Oslo and invites for a new experience.

An enseble-like composition with a station building designed by Architect Georg Andeas Bull, emerges an aparent connection of two volumes, focusing the unity of art and humanism. Sation facade ir taken as main portal, and a volume of museum shows up from behind. The purpose was to create a calm and momumental character.

Offices (dark blue glass), and storage rooms (white stone) are contructed as a background for a museum, creating a local inner space – a context for a shape of a museum. The expression of an architectural shape appears form emerging volumes regulating the contrast of relief. Inside of this structure are storage rooms for national values, and outside a stair-like shape becames a space of a scupture park.

A basic white colour, together with a new opera house, marks new tendencies of nowadays, in the Picture of Oslo.

In remenescence of antique tradition of humanization of nature, and givinf a sence of uniqueness in techlogical meaning(a glass facade is made of tightened cables of titan and glass of half cilinder profile. The main frame of a building – white ferroconcrete.

Exhibitions are organized by a principe of time sprectre. On the first floor are modern exhibition, and going to the top floor -  to the ancient exhibitions. A strairless movement is available in every floor.

On the -2 floor the changing exhibitions are situated. Rooms are lighted naturaly. Also a false illumination is created.

On the -1 floor is lobby, entrances to media and multifunktional areas, exhibition halls, toilets and cloakrooms. Rooms are lighted naturaly through inner atriums and a glass pool. Also a false illumination is created.  Next to reception and dispachment is a closed garage with an entrance form ground zero.

On the 0 floor are lobsies with an temporary exhibitions ability, an entrance to media, cantine, and museum shop. An entrance to 0 floor ir from ground zero. Outside are bicycle parking 200+200 rooms.

On the 1st floor is a library with a natural illumination, through lobby Windows. There is a connection with 1 floor outside via bridge, where is a space for open air sculpture park.

On the 2nd floor is a exhibition hall of modern art.

On the 3rd floor is a design and handcraft exhibition area, with storage rooms.

On the 4th floor is a design and handcraft exhibition area, with storage rooms.

On the 5th floor is an exhibitio hall for older art, with storage rooms.

On the 6th floor (k+24.60) is administration. The perimetre is surrounder with glass, so it has a natural illumination. Outside is a terrassa covering the surrounding the whole floor.

On the 7th floor is amphitheatrical area on the roof, as a public area, a place to see the city from above, and a place for action art.

Author architect   Mantas Maziliauskas, with Associate architects: Emilija Blinstrubytė, Giedrė Paliukaitytė, Antanas Navidauskas, Jonas Rimeika, Romas Viešhnickas, Jonas Motiejūnas. Firm reprezentation: uab „P.A.R.Y.Ž.I.U.S.“

Client: Oslo, Kingdom of Norway