Viking Age Museum

PROJECT: Viking Age Museum

CLIENT: Statsbygg

SIZE: 13.000 sq.m.

The Viking Age Museum in Oslo is acknowledged as one of the world’s most important culture-historical museums, containing Norway’s main contribution to world cultural heritage. The vision of the forthcoming extension and conversion is to transform the museum into a leading international centre for the dissemination of knowledge about the Viking Age.

This vision will be fulfilled by adding a circular extension to the existing museum, which was built in 1926 and includes the oldest and best-preserved Viking ships in the world. The circular extension will unite new and old in a simple, yet significant architectural embrace. Internally, it will connect the existing building wings, while externally it will create a new, iconic signature and open up the museum to the surroundings, providing new opportunities for outdoor activities.

In this way, the extension will raise the presentation of Norway’s cultural heritage to new heights. It will take visitors on a playful and instructive journey through the world of the Vikings and provide a unique opportunity to view the Viking ships from an entirely new, holistic perspective – from the open sequence of arched corridors to the wide seating steps – allowing visitors to move right down to the same level as the ships for a fascinating close encounter.

Together, the arched corridors and the exhibition spaces will generate a multi-faceted narrative of the Viking Age. They will allow for both short and long visits, in which visitors can enter the world of the Vikings, rich in maritime adventure, dramatically brought to life by the architecture and the exhibition design – indoors and outdoors.

"The proposal provides an excellent solution to a complicated challenge. All with a focus on preserving our unique, highly popular Viking collection, which is one of the most important cultural monuments in the world." - Harald Nikolaisen / CEO of Statsbygg