How can we place a contemporary science center and museum within the scale of Porsgrunn?
surroundings
The museum is placed in a context of small pitched-roof buildings
The light and extroverted functions are located on the ground floor, while the dark and introspective ones are placed on the first floor.
The building is divided into smaller building components in order to match the scale of the context.
The building components are stretched to let light into the ground floor, a design solution that gives rise to a multifaceted sloping roof.
Porsgrunn Maritime Museum is composed of downscaled volumes with tilted roofs, creating a dynamic figure reaching toward both the sky and the sea.
Taking into account the surrounding building context of historical wooden structures, the roof is composed of tilted downscaled volumes that are assembled into a larger building unit. This gives rise to a dynamic figure with pitched roofs facing in different directions, mirroring the surrounding roofscape.
industry to
modern society
The museum tells the story of Norway’s transformation from a traditional society based mainly on the shipping industry to a modern society based on the knowledge industry.
The stair in the foyer gives the visitors access to the first floor and the large exhibition space.
The different slopes of the pitched roofs create interesting spaces both inside and outside.
The aluminium façade consists of smaller shingles that create a scale-like texture and pick up reflections from the water.
The concept of Porsgrunn Maritime Museum shows a high degree of sensitivity toward the existing historical context and picturesque landscape while simultaneously creating a contrasting and distinctive contemporary public building.
