Rintala Eggertsson Architects

MM1 – Exhibition Room For Contemporary Art

MM1 – Exhibition Room For Contemporary Art
© Are Carlsen

MM1 - EXHIBITION ROOM FOR CONTEMPORARY ART

Rintala Eggertsson Architects

ARCHITECT IN CHARGE
Dagur Eggertsson, Vibeke Jenssen, Sami Rintala

COLLABORATING ARCHITECTS
Pasi Aalto

SPECIAL CUNSULTANT
Hans Rønbeck

SITE SUPERVISION
Oslo Municipality / District of St Hanshaugen

STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT
Reinertsen AS Sigurdur Gunnarsson

AHO TEAM
Marianne Skjulhaug, Elisabeth Sjödahl, Gro Bonesmo, Jepppe Aagaard Andersen

DESIGN / BUILDING TEAM
Dagur Eggertsson, Sami Rintala, Pasi Aalto, Mina-Mathilde Håøya, Anja Petkovic Karlsen, Hanna Hallböök, Hakon Helseth, Magnus Hermstad, Josefine S Hauknes, Silje Loe, Jo Willumsen Kamfjord, Bao Trung Mai, Mikala Sarah Kjær, Mette Vige Kristoffersen, Maria Højgaard Molden, Søren Olav S Bessesen, Johannes Örn Dagsson, Are Hagen, Nhan Van Nguyen, Thorbjørn Diesen, Helene Offer-Ohlsen, Jon Erik Dybedal Brekken, Truls Glesne, Kristoffer Oben Tørstad, Kaja Elise Skaskiewicz og Endre Hareide Hallre.

COLLABORATING ARTIST
Vanessa Baird

PHOTOGRAPHS
Are Carlsen

YEAR
2015

LOCATION
Oslo, Norway

CATEGORY
Cultural Center  

Text description provided by architect.

The exhibition room was designed and built during a two week workshop with students from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO) as a part of a larger urban intervention programme for the Therese street in Oslo where the aim was to test out scenarios for further development in the area.

MM1 – Exhibition Room For Contemporary Art
© Are Carlsen
MM1 – Exhibition Room For Contemporary Art
© Are Carlsen

The site is Margrethe Munthes plass, a triangular square in the intersection between the busy Therese street and Sten street, a quiet residential street running partly parallel to Therese street. 

The square is an important hub in the area with a tram stop, citibike-parking and a recycling point for the neighborhood households.

MM1 – Exhibition Room For Contemporary Art
MM1 – Exhibition Room For Contemporary Art
© Are Carlsen

As many of these functions are run by international media companies, the square has become dominated by large advertisements and commercial posters leaving much of the natural beauty of the spot in the shadow.

Our aim was therefore to revitalize the space with an activity which could function as a counterpoint to the prevailing loudness and the visual chaos.

After a period of research into the demographics, it became more and more apparent that with a high density of visual artists, architects and cultural workers it would be natural to focus on cultural activities and visual art in particular.

MM1 – Exhibition Room For Contemporary Art
© Are Carlsen
MM1 – Exhibition Room For Contemporary Art
© Are Carlsen
MM1 – Exhibition Room For Contemporary Art
© Are Carlsen

The proposal to do an open gallery space was well received by the municipality and the visual artists who were first approached with the idea.

During the late summer of 2014 the exhibition program was completed and the design-make workshop could begin.

The exhibition room consists of four cabinets for displaying contemporary art to the general public.

MM1 – Exhibition Room For Contemporary Art
© Are Carlsen
MM1 – Exhibition Room For Contemporary Art
© Are Carlsen
MM1 – Exhibition Room For Contemporary Art
© Are Carlsen

By dividing the exhibition into four volumes, the pedestrian traffic could continue to pass through the square.

The in-between area would then function as an interior courtyard with the canopy of the large chestnut tree as a roof.

The exhibition itself is oriented towards the courtyard, leaving the outside pass through .

MM1 – Exhibition Room For Contemporary Art
© Are Carlsen
MM1 – Exhibition Room For Contemporary Art
© Are Carlsen


MM1 – Exhibition Room For Contemporary Art
Floor plan
MM1 – Exhibition Room For Contemporary Art
Detail

Rintala Eggertsson Architects
T +47 22 171922
Rintala Eggertsson Architects
Chr. Krohgs gate 2, 0186 Oslo, Norway