Kunstsilo

How to maintain the patrimonial value of the grain elevator from 1935, and at the same time develop it into a contemporary Museum of Art?

Kunstsilo is a rehabilitation and transformation of the grain elevator on Odderøya in Kristiansand into an art museum. The original silo was designed by Korsmo and Aarsland Architects – leading figures in the functionalist movement in Norway. Today, Kunstsilo, together with the Kilden Performing Arts Centre and Knuden Cultural School, is part of the new cultural quarter of Kristiansand, with strong local, regional, and international ambitions.

From the Jury report in the competition: “The Kunstsilo proposal harnesses all the expressive power of a silo (an existing heritage building) in order to generate a diverse and complex urban space with a variety of spatial, pro­grammatic and climatic characteristics. The proposal consists of a new museum, a performing arts school, a hotel and a building to be used as an incubator for artistic start-ups. The project strikes an elegant balance by combining respect for the qualities of the silo building with an imaginative attitude to the inherently sculptural and special experiences it offers. With a few cuts into the interior of the silo, an understated yet monumental volume is opened up with controlled top-lighting that gives the future museum a strong and unique character.” (Translation- the architects)

Year: 2016 – 2024

Comission: 1st Prize Open International Competition

Project Area: BTA ca. 10 300 m²

Budget: 710.000.000 NOK

Architects: Mestres Wåge Arkitekter, Mendoza Partida, BAX Studio

Structural engineers: Degree of Freedom, Rambøll, Other Structures

Landscape architects and lighting design: Henning Larsen

Interior architects: Scenario

Construction company: Backe Sør