architecture design - Norway

PHOTOS BY HUGO FAGERNESby anne myklebustarchitectural ‘detour’Road trips are often considered the best way to explore thescenery in foreign countries. By taking a detour on the road inNorway, you may find some surprising architectural gems.Soon, some of these scenic highlights can be experienced withoutcrossing the Atlantic – when the exhibit Detour travels to the UnitedStates in 2009.Detour started in 1993 as a collaborative project between theNorwegian Public Roads Administration and the foundation NorskForm. At the heart of the project lay a wish to integrate contemporaryarchitecture into Norwegian landscapes.rather than simplypromoting norway’swell known naturalattractions, thesearchitects wantedto draw attention tointeresting locationsalong the less traffickedroads, hopefullyluring touristsoff the beaten path.With this goal in mind, Norwegian andinternational architectsand designershave over the pastdecade located 18suitable touristroutes in Norway,and highlightedthem by creatingclose to 200 innovativeand visuallyappealing viewingplatforms, restingpoints, and picnicareas along theroadsides.Rather than simply promoting Norway’s wellknown natural attractions, the architectswanted to draw attention to interesting locationsalong the less trafficked roads, hopefully luringtourists off the beaten path. Like many recentarchitectural projects in Norway, the dynamicPHOTO BY 3RWbetween these constructions and their immediate surroundings was atthe forefront of the designers’ minds. In an article for ArchitecturalRecord, journalist David Sokol describes the project as a “dialoguewith nature.”Inspired by the initial success, the Norwegian Public RoadsAdministration and Norsk Form wanted to bring these eye-catchingconstructions to those not able to travel to Norway. Now,instead of you having to make the detour – the detour exhibit travels tothe United States. Curators Barbro Westling and Peter Johanssondecided to look outside the perhaps obvious choice of crisp nature and8 | news of norway | summer 2008