In the company of Kjetil Trædal Thorsen of Snøhetta

Preamble

In line with The Interior Dispatch’s aim to survey the wider world of design, we present a brief account of CMID’s evening with Kjetil Trædal Thorsen – the celebrated Norwegian architect.

Just to be clear, the evening in question occurred in 2017. Also, Charlotte and I were not the only ones enjoying his company. We were part of a large band of interested Wellingtonians gathered under Te Papa’s roof to hear Thorsen talk about his work, and his views on architecture and design.

In view of the fact that Wellington is seldom graced by the presence of a global design luminary such as Thorsen, we want to reconstitute a previous CMID report of his talk for our readers.

It was an insightful and inspiring event, ably hosted by good people at Metro Performance Glass – with whom CMID has worked on projects.

One night in 2017, Wellingtonians were afforded the opportunity to hear one of Norway’s foremost architects speak about his work.

Word of Kjetil Trædal Thorsen’s public address triggered a high degree of excitement among local architecture and design professionals, students, and enthusiasts.

Such was the level of interest in Thorsen, the hosts were required to change the venue three times to accommodate the swell of people eager to attend. In the end, the largest auditorium in Te Papa – New Zealand’s national museum – was needed to house a captive audience estimated at around 400-strong.

In the world of architecture and design, Thorsen is held in high regard. He is the co-founder of Snøhetta, the integrated design firm embracing architecture, interiors, landscapes, brand and furniture design. Since its inception in 1989, Snøhetta has become internationally-renown as a practice at the forefront innovative design with a footprint that is truly global. Its biggest offices are in Oslo and New York City, with smaller outposts scattered in places such as San Francisco, Innsbruck, and Singapore. The Snøhetta trophy cabinet is brimming with multiple architecture and design awards for its illustrious work around the world.

Under his firm’s banner, Thorsen has forged a reputation as a far-sighted architect with an indelible touch for social good in his work.

Thorson opened his talk by revealing ways in which his firm functions. He spoke of Snøhetta’s approach to generating the necessary esprit de corps within the open-plan Oslo office.

In an enlightened and progressive approach that is suitably Norwegian, Snøhetta’s Oslo employees are grouped together based on their common personal interests – such as music or sport – rather than shared professional focus or skillset.

This workplace organisation pays off, says Thorsen:

“Integration of his kind encourages a special bond to form between colleagues, which can translate into better creative collaboration and creative ideas. People draw off each other in many ways.”

Promoting personal bonds between staff is a hallmark of the firm. In another quintessential Norwegian move, Thorson spoke ardently about the annual alpine trek within the Arctic Circle that brings together up to a hundred Snøhetta employees from around the world.

This exercise also helps underpin Snøhetta’s strong link to the natural world. That relationship is central to the firm’s design philosophy, says Thorsen.

“Architecture should both contrast with and draw inspiration from the environment around it”

— Kjetil Trædal Thorsen

Doubling down on the theme, Snøhetta is the named after one of highest peaks in the Dovre region in Norway and an outline of that peak is etched into the company logo.

The firm’s intimacy with nature is clearly reflected in Snøhetta’s famed Reindeer Pavilion, located high up in the outskirts of Dovrefjell National Park overlooking the mountain Snøhetta.

Thorson says Snøhetta’s work is also aided by the idea of sustainable social change.

He talked powerfully about the role good architecture and design play as a force for public good – to help bring people together in a common and much-loved space.

“Designing public spaces that enable different communities to come together in an organic manner are often one of the desired design outcomes in Snøhetta projects”

— Kjetil Trædal Thorsen

Once such project is the Royal Opera House in Oslo, Snøhetta’s most recognised project.

Another high-profile project that aims to bring different peoples together is the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Alexandria Library in Egypt. This was Snøhetta’s first big commission in 2002, with the completed library and cultural centre bringing the firm global attention and high honours. This included the World Architecture Award and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

Despite the plaudits, Thorsen is modest in his firm’s achievements. Though architecture as advocacy clearly informs his thinking on design, Thorsen was naturally hesitant to preach that social change can alone be constructed from bricks and mortar.

He believes humanity thrives when various conditions allow. Returning to an earlier concept, Thorsen says those conditions include public spaces – such as the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and Oslo’s Royal Opera House – that invite disparate peoples to come together in a common interest.

The night, however, really belonged to the power and the glory of Snøhetta’s projects.

Here are two more incredible Snøhetta designs: the 2007 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in Kensington – jointly designed by Thorsen and artist Olafur Eliasson – and Under, the world’s biggest underwater restaurant which is located on the southern Norwegian coastline.

See here for more Snøhetta projects - snohetta.com

Words: Craig Greaves