06 August 2009

ut på tur with Seattleites

One of my classmates at UW and fellow Valle scholar, Todd Coglon and his awesome wife Margot, came to Oslo this week. Todd has been living and studying in Copenhagen for the past two months.We had a packed day of touring Oslo: visiting the architecture school (AHO), meeting Einar Jarmund and Ane at Jarmund Vigsnæs office, visiting DogA by Jensen Skodvin, the Opera by Snøhetta and the National Museum of Architecture. It was so much fun to have Todd and Margot here and I really felt I have gotten to know Oslo quite well after acting as tour guide for a day!
Ane shows us the project she is working on at Jarmund Vigsnæs office.

Einar Jarmund discusses a current project in downtown Oslo.

We visit the Opera, by Oslo firm Snøhetta.The building is a wonderful public platform that rises from the fjord. We spent most of our time there walking around the sculpted landscape, admiring the discreet silhouette of the building and the way it meets the water.


On to the National Museum of Architecture, a renovation and addition by Sverre Fehn. After a few months of contemplation: I think this space is my favorite in Oslo. It seems we planned our day perfectly: after leaving the Opera by Snøhetta, we discovered their work on exhibition at the museum. Unfortunately I think the exhibition design by Snøhetta really detracted from the main exhibition space. I don't think Sverre would have approved Also, I was disappointed to see small trees and mounds of grass planted in front of the beautiful panes of glass on the exterior. To compare, I've included a picture from when I visited the museum in the fall (pre-trees).

Now.

Then.


Snøhetta folding. This image is for UW professors Wyn Bielaska and Nicole Huber- who will forever pop into my mind when I think of 'architectural folding'.

Exhibition pavilion.

The seam of old and new. The original building was built in 1830 as a division office of Norges Bank, designed by architect Christian Heinrich Grosch. The new exhibition space is a juxtaposition of classicism and modernistic architecture- a meeting of Fehn and Grosch.


1 comment:

  1. Really enjoyed rummaging through your blogspot. I guess you left Oslo around this date, as this is the last post on the blog?

    ReplyDelete