Norwegian wood/ The lantern pavilion

When Sandnes and Stavanger were chosen as cultural capitals of Europe 2008, the Norwegian Wood competitions were launched to promote innovative, sustainable timber architecture contributing to make the region an international display window for innovative and environmentally friendly architecture. Sandnes asked for the design a new square and a sculptural object in wood in pedestrian Langgata aiming at revitalizing the area, and creating a place where many different activities could take place: a meeting point, markets, informal music concerts and other happenings. A place able to shelter, invite and invent more social events. Since the site is visible from afar, it was essential to create an object that could be experienced from distance and reveal the square. This public Lantern aimed at providing a space where to enjoy light and weather changes if nothing else takes place. And if there is always something happening, on account of the Lantern, more will happen: creativity calls for creativity. The international competition was won by the French-Norwegian team AWP + Atelier Oslo. The proposal used the iconographic shape of and old wooden house. By the redefinition of its traditional construction and by making it glow in the dark, a new landmark for the city was created. A new ground has been opened. The Lantern proposal displays an open roof of such dimension that it becomes the symbol of this binary city. This roof is the motive of a house shell: a symbol of the old city upscaled to the new city’s dimensions, dealing with the Norwegian wood ancient architecture motives to design a contemporary object.

When Sandnes and Stavanger were chosen as cultural capitals of Europe 2008, a group of competitions named Norwegian Wood was launched to promote contemporary, sustainable timber architecture. Sandnes city asked for a construction that could serve as a canopy over a small square in the pedestrian old part of the city. A pavilion that could revitalize the square, and create a place where different types of activities could take place; a meeting point, markets, informal music concerts and other performances. Since the site is visible from afar, it was important to create an object that also could be experienced from the distance.

The international competition was won by the Norwegian-French team Atelier Oslo/AWP. The winning proposal used the iconographic shape of and old wooden house. By the redefinition of its traditional construction and by making it glow in the dark, the aim was to create a new landmark for the city.

Roof As well as having an iconographical and recognizable shape, the roof provides an ever changing experience for the daily passersby. The roof stretches out to capture the sun, light is filtered through the depth and translucency of the structure. In rainy weather rolling clouds are reflected in the glass. At night, the whole pavilion glows like a lantern. An abstract and lightweight sensation is achieved through the uniform structure, where there is no division between primary and secondary elements. It is a double grid made solely of 90x90mm wood members. Where needed, additional elements are added within the system. The material of the roof construction is laminated pine with steel reinforcement in the joints.

Glass The glass panels are mounted in an overlapping pattern, as in a traditional slate roof. The overlap incorporates eventual movement between the panels. This allows the glass to be mounted directly onto the wooden structure, avoiding the typical steel profiles and substructure. A translucent pattern is printed on the panels, to both capture the light, and let it through to play with the wooden structure beneath.

Columns The roof is held up by four groups of columns, creating a flexible space, open for different performances and activities. The columns are individual and sculptural, and in contrast to the simple shape of the roof, they create different informal spaces. In some places the columns turn into benches when meeting the ground. The columns are withdrawn from the edge of the roof, both to be protected from the rain, but also to blur the sensation for the users of being covered or not. With inspiration from gothic principles, the continuity of the structure is shown from the ground to the roof. Towards the roof the columns spread out to allocate the pressure of the roof, and towards the ground to stabilize the construction, distribute weight and secure lateral stability. The material is oak timber with steel reinforcement in the joints.