Snøhetta (company)

Infobox Company
company_name = Snøhetta AS
company_
company_type = Architectural design
foundation = 1989
owner = Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, Craig Dykers
location = Oslo, Norway
key_people = Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, Craig Dykers, Ole Gustavsen
industry = Arhitecture & Landscape Design
homepage = http://www.snohetta.com

Snøhetta is an international architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design office based in Oslo, Norway and New York City.

Snøhetta has two principals, Craig Dykers and Kjetil Trædal Thorsen. In addition there are four partners, architect Robert Greenwood, architect Ole Gustavsen, architect Tarald Lundevall, and landscape architect Jenny Osuldsen. Ole Gustavsen fulfills the role of Managing Director for the company. In 2006 Snøhetta had approximately 80 designers working on projects in Europe, Asia and America.

Among Snøhetta’s notable works are:

* The Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Library of Alexandria) in Egypt
* The Norwegian Embassy in Berlin
* The New National Opera House in Oslo
* The Turner Contemporary Museum in England
* The Lillehammer Art Museum in Norway
* The National September 11th Memorial Museum Pavilion/Cultural Complex at the World Trade Center site in New York

The practice is focused upon a transdisciplinary platform where multiple professions work together to explore differing perspectives of the conditions for each project it undertakes. The nature of the solutions often dwells upon the relationship of the program and site. While not emphasizing one condition or one attitude over another, the result is a design intention that promotes a narrative of what it is, where it is, what it does, and how it does it.

The company is composed of designers and staff from around the world and the social environment and working conditions of the firm is very important to its members.

History

In 1987 the landscape architects Inge Dahlman, Berit Hartveit and Johan Østengen contacted landscape architects Alf Haukeland, and architects Øyvind Mo and Kjetil Trædal Thorsen to join together to make a collaborative studio. The idea was to incorporate architecture and landscape architecture into one design process. The studio was placed above a “brown” beer hall in Storgata in Oslo where they used to hang out. The beer hall is called "Dovrehallen" which means the "Dovre’s Hall". Dovre is the mountain area where Snøhetta is the highest peak.

Early in 1989 an unusual convergence of events occurred. Kjetil Thorsen in Norway and Craig Dykers in Los Angeles had independently discussed working on the Egyptian Library of Alexandria Competition together with their mutual friend and colleague Christoph Kapeller from Austria, who was now living in Los Angeles. By the summer of 1989 Snøhetta registered for participation in the competition. At that time Craig had established his own small practice focused on collaboration amongst architects and artists in Los Angeles and had considered carrying out the competition design with another group. However, after further discussion, this group then agreed they would work on the competition together as a team. On a trip to Mexico from Oslo Kjetil arranged for a rented apartment in Los Angeles and later the team helped set-up the space together for use during the competition.

In the late summer of 1989 the team completed its self-made composition and a larger group of people came together to complete the competition in Los Angeles. The full team included from Norway the architect Øyvind Mo of Snøhetta and his friend Per Morten Josefson, along with Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, and from Los Angeles the team included architects Craig Dykers and Christoph Kapeller. In addition the architect Elaine Molinar from LA joined the team to assist in the work. The team also worked with the artist Jorunn Sannes from Norway who took on the task of the expression of the outer stone wall. The team also included the art historian Cordula Mohr to help with the text describing the project. Within a period of five weeks in the apartment, the group completed and delivered the competition, and won.

Toward the end of 1989 the Alexandria team and the team in Oslo, at this time also including the architect Martin Roubik, joined together in Oslo and the entire group moved into the office space above Dovrehallen. This group then agreed to form a new shareholding company called Snøhetta arkitektur & landskap AS with eight equal partners based upon the diverse backgrounds of all of those participating in the design work.

During the period from 1989 to 2006 the company has undergone many changes including changes in the basic structure leading to the arrangement in 2006 of two principals and four partners. The basic notion of diverse backgrounds and cultures remains a key feature of the practice. Snøhetta’s Scandinavian and Norwegian heritage provide Snøhetta with a unique understanding that promotes social and environmental consciousness and during the first years of the 21st Century the practice continues to develop its understanding of context and the conditions within which its ideas are considered.

In 2004, the company received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

Publications

Major publications include:
* Snøhetta, Kjartan Fløgstad, 2004
* Snøhetta Conditions, Lars Müller Publications, 2007

Links with education

Craig Dykers of Snøhetta was invited to lecture at The Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and The Built Environment in Aberdeen, Scotland; where he was a visiting lecturer at the 5710 Lecture Series of 2002/3.

External links

* [http://www.5710.org.uk 5710 Society and Lecture Series]
* [http://www.snoarc.no/ Home page of Snøhetta]