This Norway Based Architecture Firm Has Turned Many Dream Concepts into Reality

The expression ‘thinking out of the box’ fits Snøhetta like a ‘T’. This is because each and every architectural achievement of this Norwegian company is as beautiful as it’s diverse. Dealing mainly in architecture and landscape architecture, the company also undertakes interior designing, product designing, and graphic designing.

Snøhetta was founded by Kjetil Trædal Thorsen and Craig Edward Dykers in Oslo, Norway. Although it began as a collaborative architectural and landscape workshop, the trans-disciplinary way of thinking made it one of the top global architectural firms.

It was only a matter of time that Snøhetta went international. Today, it has branches in Adelaide, Australia; Hong Kong, China; Innsbruck, Austria; New York, USA; Paris, France; and San Francisco, USA. The company employs around 250 designers involved in both local and international projects.

What the company actually accomplishes is beautifully stated on its website: “Our work strives to enhance our sense of surroundings, identity and relationship to others and the physical spaces we inhabit, whether feral or human-made. Museums, products, reindeer observatories, graphics, landscapes, and dollhouses get the same care and attention to purpose.”

Snøhetta has many iconic projects to its credit. It constructed Snøhetta underwater restaurant in Lindesnes, Norway, a first in Europe. It also constructed the world’s northernmost energy-positive building in Trondheim, Norway, and many others.

In the international arena too, Snøhetta has created a niche of its own. In Sydney Australia, it constructed Aesop’s largest store to date; in Egypt, it built the Library of Alexandria (Bibliotheca Alexandrina); in Berlin, Germany constructed the Norwegian Embassy; it also reconstructed the Times Square in New York, USA; and many more.

Besides this, Snøhetta has also designed a new banknote for the Central Bank of Norway. Its installation, ‘The Best Weapon’, commissioned by the Nobel Peace Center, is currently displayed at the UN in New York, USA. It designed S-1500 chair made entirely out of recycled plastic from the local fish farming industry in Hemnesberget, Northern Norway. There are many more diverse Snohetta projects to the credit of the company.

For its outstanding work, Snøhetta has won many laurels too. Its Bibliotheca Alexandrina received both the World Architecture Award and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Its Oslo Opera House too was conferred with World Architecture Award; the Mies van der Rohe Award; and others. There are many more awards in this company’s kitty.



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Last week marked the opening of Powerhouse Brattørkaia in Trondheim, Norway – the world’s northernmost energy-positive building. As the world’s population and the severity of the climate crisis continue to grow, we are challenged to think how to build responsibly – creating high quality spaces for people while also reducing our environmental footprint. Powerhouse Brattørkaia aims to set a new standard for the construction of the buildings of tomorrow: one that produces more energy than it consumes over its lifespan, including construction and demolition. On average, Powerhouse Brattørkaia produces more than twice as much electricity as it consumes daily through its solar panel clad roof and façade. The building will supply renewable energy to itself, its neighboring buildings, electric buses, cars and boats through a local micro grid. The project is the first office building by Powerhouse – a research, design and engineering collaboration of industry partners Entra, Skanska, ZERO, Snøhetta and Asplan Viak. 📷 @ivarkvaal and synlig.no

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Each of the ten elements that are part of the Path of Perspectives are shaped from Corten steel, a material choice that was inspired by the surrounding context and prior interventions. The architectural interventions adapts to the existing technical structures of Nordkette’s avalanche barriers, which are made of the same weathered steel. Larch wood, typical for the local forests, shapes the seating and reclining platforms. Quotes from Austrian philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein, are inscribed on the new architectural features. The words invite visitors to take a moment to reflect over the landscape, both inwardly and out, giving a dual meaning to the path of perspectives. 📷 Christian Flatscher @nordketteinnsbruck #nordkette

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In the alpine landscape of Innsbruck's spectacular Nordkette mountain range we have designed the Path of Perspectives Panorama Trail. The Hungerburg and @nordketteinnsbruck funiculars bring visitors directly from the city center to the Seegrube cable car station at 1,905 meters above sea level, where the Path of Perspectives unfurls in breathtaking alpine surroundings. Every element, from the benches to the viewing platform, marks a unique point along the trail. The viewing platform, which seems to grow out of the terrain, elegantly projects over the edge of the landscape and emphasizes the topographical changes. Standing on the platform, visitors can enjoy uninterrupted views of the Inn Valley below, while the metal grate underfoot gives a sense of floating above the terrain. 📷 Christian Flatscher #nordkette

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On behalf of the Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT), Snøhetta has designed DNT’s first tourist cabin that produces more energy than it consumes. The 125-year-old tourist cabin, named Mogen, is located at Hardangervidda – a barren moorland mountain plateau in Southern Norway. The plateau is the largest of its kind in Europe and is a popular hiking destination in the summer. The new and sustainably built structure will replace an existing cabin and its support functions. The project aims to include and reuse as much materials as possible from the existing cabin. The concept is founded on strong community values and the unique qualities of the landscape, with a focus on building an accessible and welcoming meeting place for all visitors. 📷 @plo.mp

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As of tomorrow, you can explore the pop-up exhibition “A House to Die In” at #Tjuvholmen in #Oslo. The exhibition runs until February 25 and delves into the story of how an unconventional building challenges our perception of the limits between art and architecture. The exhibition further documents a unique work process between Selvaag, Snøhetta and Bjarne Melgaard – a transdisciplinary process were the artist and the architect trade roles to achieve a common goal. The exhibition is a collaboration between Snøhetta, Selvaag Art Collection (@selvaagartcollection) and Bjarne Melgaard (@bjarnemelgaard). More info at snohetta.com/news! #art #architecture #interiorarchitecture #landscapearchitecture #exhibition #Norway 📷 @mir.no

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