Zarchy architects
National Museum - Oslo Norway
We envision the New National Museum as a transparent, democratic and welcoming entity in the city. The ambition of this project is to dissolve the edges between the museum and the city, thereby bestowing gradients of incident into the cityscape, and seducing passers-by and visitors alike into experiencing art and culture.
We propose an emblematic container, a pure geometric form, and divide it into a covered public space and a structure made up of stacked programmatic levels. A new type of public square is thus conceived: a covered piazza in front of the museum which serves simultaneously as public space, and as foyer and circulation lobby. The square functions as a foreground area in its capacity of major exhibition space, and concurrently as background for the Nobel Peace Centre and the Local Station Building, incorporating and emphasizing their iconic presence. Escalators from the plaza lead visitors to the museum’s exhibition levels. On the way into the building the city is gradually revealed, showcasing its resplendent setting on one side, while fine art appears in its complementary showcase on the other.
The building’s multi-layered envelope incorporates dynamically operated louvers, which counter solar gain in summer. The louvers together with a light-weight multi-layered ETFE roof ensure excellent UV filtration and allow diffused natural light to enter the exhibition spaces. A double skin of glass offers transparency while providing excellent insulation from outside conditions.

Data:
Oslo
45,000 sqm
2009
Competition