Skogfinsk Museum / 2018

At Simsand Architects I have taken part of the open competition to design a new Skogfinsk Museum in Norway. With 203 proposals from all over the world the project took part of one of the largest Norwegian competitions ever. Unfortunately, the project did not place, but I am still very pleased with the outcome, for its sustainable approach and how the history of the Skogfinners was communicated throughout the museum inside and out.

For the Skogfinners the nature is very important and essential to life. Therefore, the main idea of the proposal is to strengthen the natural qualities of the land when you are outside and inside the museum. Lots of new trees are planted around the museum to make sure the visitors are in the right mood before entering. The scents from the trees and the sounds from the creek surrounds the museum along with the animals so the visitor will get the feel of being in the middle of a forest just as the Skogfinners.

The museum itself is a wooden construction to represent the life of the Skogfinners and to provide a sustainable building with a positive impact on the planet. The shape provides the visitors with a large number of windows and visual connections to the surrounding nature. The shape also creates different spatial settings around the central atrium. It makes the journey through the museum space interesting, and at the same time it makes it possible for the museum organizers to create different types of exhibition installations fitting to the specific room. Overall the museum creates the possibility for a place where the story can be communicated in a way where the history, the architecture and the nature go along.

The renders are done by Beauty and The Bit. Everything else is by me.