Living the Nordic Light was made in collaboration with photographer Sølve Sundsbø, and authors Åsne Seierstad and Po Tidholm
Process
Collaboration
We excel at consensus-building through workshops and charrettes. Client, user, and internal office workshops drive our design process and can often produce the most exciting, useful, and fresh takes on a problem, giving way to a built project that can respond in kind.
Through our experience working on complex public projects worldwide such as the National September 11th Memorial & Museum, the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the Times Square Reconstruction, our design leaders are adept at negotiation multi-headed client bodies and fielding the often conflicting interests of a wide range of stakeholders.
Art work by Jorunn Sannes and Kristian Blystad for Bibliotheca Alexandria
Collaboration with composer Arvo Pärt for Stillspotting Guggenheim
Likewise, we have a long history of collaborating with the arts from the earliest conceptual phases of the design. We are continuously inspired by the unique perspective artists bring to our work and find these cross-collaborations push both architecture and art towards new expressions and content. Just as the choice of building materials is affected by what is natural for the individual project and specific site, a contextual understanding assist in the choice of the artist and technique for the project.
For the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet we worked with artists Kristian Flystad, Kalle Grude, Jorunn Sannes, Pae White, Kristin Wagle and Astrid Løvaas
Art work by José Parlá at James B. Hunt Jr. Library
Sustainability
At the heart of all of our work is a commitment to shaping the built environment both in the service of humanism and the longevity of our planet. Our interdisciplinary design process ensures that our projects are both poetic and pragmatic, where high design works in conjunction with sustainable building performance.
Design Methodology
Our design methodology is rooted in our core values. We combine a wide spectrum of tools and theories with a good portion of generosity.
Studio Space
Our studio spaces are important in facilitating our collaborative working process. You’ll find the same fundamental elements in the layout of all our offices.
Transpositioning
Snøhetta practices a self-defined trans-disciplinary process in which different professionals – from architects to visual artists, philosophers to sociologists – exchange roles in order to explore differing perspectives without the prejudice of convention.