Viking Magazine - April 2019 - 17

Solobservatoriet at Harestua
can house millions of books. The
library's contemporary, circular design
includes an open plaza and a reflecting
pool. It also features stone carvings in a
variety of different languages.
In 2008, Snøhetta completed a new
building for the Norwegian National
Opera and Ballet in Oslo. The building
is made of materials including marble,
oak, aluminum and glass. When
designing the opera house, a key goal
was to make the building accessible to
the general public-not just performing
arts patrons. Snøhetta delivered. The
building's angled slope invites visitors to
approach it. The roof is accessible yearround.
In addition, the " keyless " lobby
is a free, open space that's available to
the public 24/7.
The National September 11
Memorial Museum Pavilion in New
York City opened to the public in 2014.
The horizontal pavilion is meant to be
a bridge between the memorial and
the museum. Snøhetta designed its
reflective, transparent surfaces to draw
people in.
" Our desire is to allow visitors to
find a place that is a naturally occurring
threshold between the everyday life
of the city and the uniquely spiritual
quality of the memorial, " Dykers said
on Snøhetta's website. " It is important
that people physically engage with the
building and feel that it helps lead them
on to other areas of the site and other
thoughts about their experiences there. "
In 2014, Snøhetta started working
on a new banknote design for Norges
Bank. The paper currency's pixilated
design is homage to Norway's coastline
and the boundaries between sea, land
and air.
" The colors and variations of the
bills were inspired by the interesting
things that happen when sky meets
sea, " Dykers told the New York Times
in an October 2014 interview. " When
you place all the bills side by side, they
San Francisco Museum
of Modern Art
also create an interesting pattern, like
a mosaic. In our work, we often try to
take reality by surprise. "
Completed in 2016, the expansion to
the San Francisco Museum of Modern
Art (SFMOMA) compliments the
museum's existing building from 1995.
One highlight is the new atrium, which
features a sculptural cascading staircase
that leads visitors to the main gathering
space on the second floor.
In 2017, Snøhetta completed the Times
Square reconstruction in New York City.
They created more pedestrian space for
tourists and locals, easing congestion.
The design also incorporated sculpted,
granite benches. Pedestrian injuries in
Times Square decreased by 40 percent
and vehicular accidents decreased by 15
percent since the project's completion.
Completed in 2018, Harvard
HouseZero (see on page 16) in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, is another
Snøhetta project. It required taking an
existing building from the 1940s and
designing an ultra-efficient modern
laboratory within it. The building uses
Times Square in New York City
almost no energy for heating and
cooling. It also has natural ventilation
and zero carbon emissions. The
design is a prototype for how to
make existing buildings more energy
efficient in the future.
Snøhetta's work isn't slowing
down. There are several projects on
the horizon, including the anticipated
Solobservatoriet at Harestua-a
planetarium and visitor center north
of Oslo. There will be a three-story
theater in the shape of an orb that can
house 100 visitors. The planetarium's
roof features live grass and plants,
and visitors can gaze at the stars from
there. The structure will also include
small cabins shaped like planets for
overnight visitors. The project is
scheduled for completion in 2020.
sonsofnorway.com VIKING APRIL 2019 17
PHOTOS BY (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP)SNØHETTA / PLOMPMOZES, MICHAEL GRIMM, HENRIK KAM / COURTESY SFMOMA.

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Viking Magazine - April 2019

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