Viking Magazine - Mar/Apr 2024 - 19

a commercial kitchen in which all
employees eat lunch together across
long, open dining tables. This collectivist
approach is meant to encourage
the free flow of information and an
open dialogue between employees,
across all disciplines and job titles. As
Dykers told The New Yorker in 2013,
" anyone can suggest anything about
anything. " As projects are constructed,
the conventional idea of " profession "
is thrown out the door, with employees
thinking across disciplines and
contributing based on their creative
intuitions. This may be part of why it
is difficult to define Snøhetta's style.
Rather than conforming to a rigid protocol,
each project is a testament to the
collaboration of diverse creative minds.
And despite Snøhetta's astounding success,
its projects continue to reflect this
modest, egalitarian attitude-built not
to be spectacles, but to be accessible
and open spaces for everyone to enjoy.
A look at some of Snøhetta's most
acclaimed works will reveal no less.
Bibliotheca Alexandrina-
Alexandria, Egypt
Officially inaugurated in 2002, the
Bibliotheca Alexandrina is an 11-story
tilted cylindrical building resting along
Alexandria's ancient harbor. The striking
historical and cultural relevance of
the library was not lost on Snøhetta,
who saw its commission as an opportunity
to build an international reawakening
of Mediterranean knowledge
and culture. The library's vast reading
room is designed to comfortably fit up
to 2,000 readers at a time-the largest
of its kind worldwide. The building's
distinct circular shape echoes this
accessibility of knowledge, intended to
signify the cyclical flow of knowledge
across history.
In a collaboration between Norwegian
artist Jorunn Sannes and
Norwegian sculptor Kristian Blystad,
the structure was outfitted in nearly
20,000 square feet of handcarved
stone. Across this stone can be seen
4,000 unique letters and symbols from
various alphabets, spanning 10,000
@sonsofnorway
years of human history. The symbols
are intentionally ordered at random,
so as to represent an amalgamation of
diverse human interests and understandings.
Since its opening, the library
has become a global symbol of knowledge,
peace, citizenship and democracy.
Norwegian National Opera &
Ballet-Oslo, Norway
The Norwegian National Opera &
Ballet was designed around the intention
of reclaiming Oslo's historically
industrial waterfront as a public space
for recreation and community. Perhaps
the building's most recognizable
feature could be its slanted, walkable
plaza, which leads directly down to the
Oslofjord and effectively restores the
stretch of harbor space to the public.
Honoring a historic Norwegian
custom known as allemannsretten, or
" the right to roam, " the building was
designed to be just as much a landscape
as a work of architecture, with
walkable exteriors and keyless interiors
that invite non-opera or -ballet attendees
to roam freely. Today, the white
carrara marble-covered roof regularly
holds public concerts and simulcast
viewings of the operas happening
inside, and the building's doors are
unlocked and open to the public 24
hours a day-promoting an accessibility
of art and culture that is extremely
rare and uniquely Norwegian.
September 11 Memorial
Museum and Pavilion-
New York City, New York
In 2004, Snøhetta achieved its first
American commission to design an
entrance pavilion to the September 11
Memorial and Museum in New York
City. Constructing what was to be the
only building on the sacred grounds of
the memorial was a defining challenge
for the firm, with nearly 10 years spanning
the initial commission and the
building's official opening in 2014.
Snøhetta diligently approached the
project as if building a bridge between
two worlds, wrestling with the complicated
transition between the bustle
of city life and the uniquely spiritual
experience of the memorial.
With its crystal, stainless steel complexion
and striking geometric shape,
the pavilion building appears as if it
fell from the sky, jutting down into the
plaza at an almost precarious slant. Its
unmistakable shape is meant to act as
a threshold, providing a space for pause
and reflection as visitors are led from
the sunlit museum down to the shadowed
memorial. Within the atrium,
two large columns salvaged from the
original twin towers rise to the glass
ceiling, marking the site with their physical
memory. The transparent walls of
the atrium allow passersby to peer in
and visitors to peer out, personifying
the mental transition that occurs once
inside. However, with its artfully striped
façade, the exterior of the pavilion
still manages to blend with the urban
landscape surrounding it-a building
that is both within and outside the
everyday hustle of New York life.
Vesterheim Commons-
Decorah, Iowa
Vesterheim is a National NorwegianAmerican
Museum and Folk Art School
located in Decorah, Iowa. With a core
mission of community-building,Vesterheim
tapped Snøhetta in 2018 for the
construction of a common gathering
space for Norwegian-Americans to connect
and share stories. Completed in
fall 2023, the result is an 8,000-squarefoot
building known as The Commons,
situated as an anchoring point between
Vesterheim's Heritage Park and Decorah's
main street.
When constructing The Commons,
Snøhetta set out to align with the Norwegian
craft tradition of using humble,
locally sourced materials. Incorporating
timber from nearby Albert Lea, Minnesota,
and brick sourced from Adel,
Iowa, the building stands as a testament
to the culture and resources surrounding
it, seamlessly blending with Decorah's
natural landscapes. The Commons
is now recognized as a national
cultural gathering space, drawing in
visiting groups from across the country.
Mar/Apr 2024
19
Viking Magazine - Mar/Apr 2024

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