Norway- and Denmark-based architecture firm Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter has won an invited competition for the new extension of the Fram Museum, a museum in Oslo dedicated to the stories of Norwegian polar exploration. Dubbed Framtid — Norwegian for ‘future’ — the museum extension stands out from its sharply angular neighbors with its church bell-shaped gable and fully glazed end wall that allows views into the building and out toward the water. The timber-framed building will also be engineered with environmentally friendly considerations as part of the firm’s vision “that architecture exemplifies how we care for our environment.”
Continue reading below
Our Featured Videos
Inaugurated in 1936, the Fram Museum was primarily built to honor the three great Norwegian polar explorers — Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup and Roald Amundsen — and is named after the original wooden exploration vessel Fram that sits at the heart of the museum. Although the new curved extension will be visually distinct from the museum’s A-frame buildings, the modern structure will also take cues from the existing layout with its long form set perpendicular to the water.
Related: RRA unveils mountain-inspired ski resort that emphasizes nature and community
The new Framtid wing will expand the footprint of the museum with gathering spaces, exhibition spaces, a café with an exterior amphitheater and an auditorium. The light-filled café and gathering spaces will be located at the north side of the building for optimal views of the water and easy access to the boat shuttle. The shore, which is currently private, will be made publicly accessible with these new spaces. Framtid’s exhibition spaces will be placed farther back into the building and be equipped with full light controls to create sensory experiences; passageways connect the new exhibition spaces to the museum’s other three wings.
“An important aspect of polar expeditions was research on climate and the environment,” the architects noted. “Like the crews of Fram, Gjøa and Maud, the museum’s guests will be inspired to seek knowledge on environmental education in regard to current climate change and sustainable solutions.”
Images via Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter
