Ringed in fjords and beautiful, rugged terrain, Norway loves its mountains. When it came time to design a new Mountaineering Center in Åndalsnes (whose motto roughly translates to "the world's best place for nature-loving people"), the local government wanted to pull out all the stops. They tapped cabin-whisperer Reiulf Ramstad =to design a dramatic modern structure that would become a new landmark for the small town near the country’s west coast.
Ramstad, whose work is often inspired by the country’s mountains, designed a tall, angled peak, with a smaller, hill-like volume projecting from its base. Clad entirely in three shades of bronze and silver aluminum tiles, the building’s facade offers a modern interpretation of snowy crests, rising above the village. The reflective panels, arranged in a geometric pattern, appear to change colors depending on the light
The new building contains a gallery space dedicated to mountaineering artifacts, an auditorium, a cafe, and a nearly 70-foot-tall indoor climbing wall, one of the country’s tallest. If design seeks to replicate the landscape, it might as well be interactive.
Source: Architizer, Byggeindustrien