Municipality of Bodø with the National Association of Norwegian Architects
Open ideas competition

Shared First Prize:
DRDH Architects; Florian Hultsch; General Architecture; Langdon Reis Zahn

Winners - through to next round:
DRDH Architects; General Architecture; Langdon Reis Zahn

Announced: May 2008
Location: inner marina, city centre

Proposed Facilities:
Bodo Nye Kulturhus – concert hall & theatre
New Library

We carry information re the 3 winners:
DRDH Architects + Langdon Reis Zahn + General Architecture


DRDH Architects
Joint First Prize
Open International Competition, Bodø, Norway
Environmental Consultants – XCO2



Project Description

The brief for this open, international competition was the definition of a new cultural centre for the City of Bodø, in Northern Norway. Situated in the centre of the city, against the harbour, this involved both the development of an urban landscape infrastructure and the form and placement of three significant new cultural buildings: Bodø Nye Kulturhus, a concert hall and theatre; a new public library; a small maritime museum.

Our project chooses to place the two principal buildings on vacant plots within the existing urban centre, densifying it through the creation a new cultural heart, which could become part of the everyday life of its citizens. The library and concert hall form a public space between them, the focus of a proposed cultural promenade that stretches from the existing shopping centre to the harbour and culminates in the museum.

The spine of this cultural promenade forms the principal landscape strategy for the project. It can be understood in two ways; through the continuity of its surfaces and as a sequence of spaces with differing scales and characters. The shifting geometries of buildings and spaces allow a series of vistas to unfold along this journey. These reveal the Museum across the harbour and frame the landscape horizon beyond, whilst offering spaces sheltered from the elements that address both new and existing buildings.



The form of the Kulturhus responds to its placement. In order to reduce perceived scale, its mass is broken down into an ensemble of smaller elements, which cluster around the main volume of the fly tower. This allows the form to shift and respond to variations in the scale of the immediate context. The Bibliotek echoes the form of the larger building, extending this language of clustered forms. Formally influenced by the alabaster works of the sculptor Chillida, the two buildings collectively resemble a little city of towers, within the larger city. Understood at another scale, each tower signifies a principal public room.

These smaller towers are joined by a slender campanile, which focuses the vista from the existing shopping centre in the town. Housing a wind turbine that provides background power for the complex, the campanile speaks to the existing towers of the Town Hall and the Cathedral. Its proportions are those of St Marks Campanile in Venice, although its scale is smaller.

The Kulturhus offers a more formal face to the water. This principal façade contains a large acoustically glazed window to the main auditorium, allowing the spectacular landscape to become the backdrop to performances.



Seen within the context of the city as a whole, perhaps from an approaching boat, the complex of buildings becomes part of a larger ensemble with other tall buildings and towers. Their mass collectively defines an urban form that echoes the shape of the mountains beyond. The simpler volume of the Museum stands alone in the harbour as a glowing beacon on the water.

The buildings would have a simple and singular material character externally, reinforcing their continuity. Internally the project recalls the strong colours of vernacular Norwegian domestic architecture, applied in public rooms that are at the scale of houses. These would enliven the character of the building during the dark winter months. Here, we were particularly influenced by the work of Norwegian colour expert, Greta Smedal for the arctic town of Svalbard.

DRDH worked with XCO2 on the environmental strategy for the project, which utilises, amongst other things, the geothermal capacity of the sea and the strong winds in the town to minimise the operational energy consumption of this new cultural centre.

DRDH Architects

Bodo Nye Kulturhus: Building PR from DRDH Architects 280508



Langdon Reis Zahn
Joint First Prize
Open International Competition, Bodø, Norway



London - Langdon Reis Zahn have won the Open International Design Competition for a new Library and Theatre/Concert Hall in Bodo, Norway.

They shared the first prize along with drdh Architects (London), General Architecture (Sweden) and Florian Hultsch (Germany).



The first stage of the competition was an open ideas competition intended to clarify the location, massing and articulation of the built forms, composition and urban design of the adjacent site areas and public spaces.

The new cultural centre is projected to be approximately 11,700 sq.m. (126,000 square feet) with a construction budget of NOK 630,000,000.



Langdon Reis Zahn, drdh Architects and General Architecture have been invited to participate in the second round of the competition which will determine the practice selected to build the theatre/concert hall and the library.

Langdon Reis Zahn is a collaborative architecture, design and research studio based in London. For more information please visit www.langdonreiszahn.com

Bodo Nye Kulturhus: Building PR from Langdon Reis Zahn Architects 280508


General Architecture
Joint First Prize
Open International Competition, Bodø, Norway



"In the open ideas competition for the urban framework and cultural centre in Bodø, Norway, General Architecture, GA, was awarded a joint first price, and with this a chance to develop the proposal further in an upcoming design competition. The proposal establishes a urban connection across the harbour basin by placing the two main buildings, a concert hall and a library building, on opposing sides. This connection between the two buildings is physical as well as visual, and further emphasised by a promenade along the quay. This creates a continuous urban fabric, and re-establishes the harbour as the heart of the city."



General Architecture is an architecture practice based in Stockholm, Sweden, founded in 2002 and currently employing 7 architects. The practice works mainly with large scale projects in urban planning, infrastructure and architecture, and has been awarded in several international architecture competitions.

General Architecture

Bodo Nye Kulturhus: Building PR from General Architecture 280508


Competition Jury:

Chair
Odd Tore Fygle, Mayor of Bodo,

Vigdis B. Zeddeman, city council representative
Dagfinn Nilsen, Project Manager, Property Office, the Municipality of Bodo
Jørn Roar Moe, City Development Director, the Municipality of Bodø
Sonja Osnes, Library Director, the Municipality of Bodo
Marte Helness, Chairman of the Board, Bodo Culture Centre KF
Tomas Stokke, Architect, Asplan Viak Oslo
Rainer Stange, Professor of Landscape Architecture, AHO
Bente Kleven, Architect, LPO

Norway Buildings



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Norwegian Architects

Comments / photos for the Bodo Nye Kulturhus page welcome:
info@e-architect.co.uk

Bodo Nye Kulturhus Norway Building - page: adrian welch / isabelle lomholt

Website: www.bodo.kommune.no