Art Museum and Cinema Lillehammer

Lillehammer Art Museum and Cinema, Snøhetta Norwegian Architecture, Scandinavian Building Images

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer

Gudbrandsdal Building Extension in Oppland county design by Snøhetta architects, Norway

21 Dec 2016

Lillehammer Art Museum and Cinema

Architects: Snøhetta

Location: Lillehammer, Oppland county, south east Norway

From 1994 – 2016: Snøhetta designs second expansion to Lillehammer Art Museum and Lillehammer Cinema

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer
image: Mark Syke

Twenty two years after completing the first expansion to the Lillehammer Art Museum, Snøhetta is honored to expand the project yet again, creating a holistic expression for both the art museum and the adjacent cinema. Integration of art plays a central role in all aspects of the project, from the landscape to the program to the buildings themselves.

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer
images: Mark Syke

The Lillehammer Art Museum and Lillehammer Cinema were first established in an Erling Viksjø-designed building in 1964, which is considered today a definite representation of the architectural style of its time.

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer
images: Mark Syke

In 1994, Snøhetta completed an extension to the Museum with the construction of an independent building that sought to bridge the architectural language of the original 1960s buildings and contemporary formal expression. Now, in 2016, a second Snøhetta-designed expansion connects the two existing institutions with the addition of the new exhibition hall Weidemannsalen to the Museum, and two theaters and an interior renovation to the Lillehammer Cinema.

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer
images: Mark Syke

The expansion of the Museum is created on idea of art hovering above a transparent base. The new space houses a children’s workshop at ground level with floor-to ceiling windows and sits beneath a cantilevered hall wrapped in a dynamic metal façade. The circulation through the Museum is significantly improved, with a new connection below the art garden enhancing the visitor experience.

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer
images: Mark Syke

The second story gallery is dedicated to housing the works of Lillehammer-based artist Jakob Weidemann (1923-2001). The gallery’s striking metallic wrapping reflects the surrounding context and changes its appearance with the light. The façade was created by late Norwegian artist Bård Breivik (1948-2016), and it is conceptually rooted in the sculptural idea of a shooting star, a dramatic symbol of the importance of Weidemann’s contribution to Norwegian painting. The façade is made from driven, highly polished stainless steel, with reliefs at approximately 25cm deep.

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer
images: Mark Syke

The Lillehammer Cinema added two new auditoriums and renovated its existing circulation space. One auditorium is integrated in the existing building structure, and the second is located below the art garden, between the two existing buildings. The entrance façade is renewed to compliment the style of the original building and brings to front a wall integrated with art by Odd Tandberg.

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer
image © Snøhetta & Ketil Jacobsen

The key concept is to bring back the foyer as an extension of the plaza in front of the Cinema, creating a stronger connection between the city and the foyer, as Viksjø originally had imagined it. With this, Tandbergs wall art in the foyer is again part of the city.

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer
image © Snøhetta & Ketil Jacobsen

The integration of art, architecture, and landscape is an important feature in both Snøhetta and Erling Viksjø’s work. When Snøhetta designed the museum expansion in 1994, the spaces in between the buildings were transformed into an art garden in the firm’s first collaboration with artist Bård Breivik. For the recent expansion, it has been important to again enhance these connecting spaces, bringing the three volumes together in one complete project.

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer
images © Snøhetta & Ketil Jacobsen>

The expansion of the Lillehammer Art Museum and Lillehammer Cinema was completed throughout spring 2016, with the Museum being completed in January, the Cinema in March, and the return of the art garden being completed in May.

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer
images © Snøhetta & Ketil Jacobsen

Art Museum and Cinema in Lillehammer images / information received 211216

Website: Snøhetta on e-architect

Location: Lillehammer, Norway, northern Europe

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Website: Snøhetta