Sogn & Fjordane Art Museum Designed as a Sparkling Block of Ice

Sep 17

Extreme Architecture, News, Photos Add comments

C.F. Møller Architects has designed a new art museum in Førde north of Bergen in Norway, the new Sogn & Fjordane Art Museum. The museum lies like a crystal-clear block of ice that has slid down from the surrounding mountains and the architecture is inspired by the landscape: In Førde the mountains are visible everywhere, and Jostedalsbreen, the largest glacier on the European mainland, lies in close proximity to the town.

The architects wrote about this project: The small Norwegian town of Førde draws its qualities from its interaction with the surrounding mountains, which are visible everywhere, and from Jostedalsbreen, the largest glacier on the European mainland, which lies in close proximity to the town.

The crystalline form provides an asymmetrical plan solution, with varying displacements in the facade. The facade is clad in white glass with a network of angled lines, reminiscent of the fracture lines in ice. This network also defines the irregular window apertures. In the evening these lines are illuminated, so that the museum lies like a sparkling block in the middle of the town’s darkness.

Inside, visitors move upwards through the museum’s four floors of exhibition space, and at the top a panoramic view of the mountains can be enjoyed from a roof terrace that can also function as an exhibition space or stage.

East elevation

North elevation

South elevation

West elevation

Cross section

Floor plans

Level -1

Level 0

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Project info:
Client: Sogn & Fjordane Regional Municipality, Førde Kommune
Size: 3000 m2
Address: Førde, Norway
Construction period: 2011-2012
Architect: C.F. Møller Architects
Engineering: Sweco Norge, iVest Consult
Main contractor: Åsen & Øvrelid