Is there a Nordic Architecture ?
Through lectures, seminars and during the study trip of this course, I saw a lot of buildings made in Nordic countries or by Nordic architects. Although there often were something special in these buildings, I couldn’t assert that there’s an official or a proper Nordic Architecture.
If I look at some buildings one by one, these could have been built in other countries or have some common characteristics with other foreigner buildings.
As example, during the trip in Norway, we visited the Hamar Bispegaard Museum designed by Sverre Fehn from 1969 to 1973. When we visited this museum, I could feel the carefully manner to create a promenade in order to contemplate these old bishop’s house ruins. I could also feel the subtle way to handle glass without any tremendous structure in front of openings, to reduce obstacles for the incoming light.
A quite similar approach have been used by Carlo Scarpa in the well known Castelvecchio Museum near Verona. Scarpa restored the fortress between 1957 and 1975. Through the use of concrete wooden formwork, the use of the wooden roof structure, and the scenography, Scarpa deal with the same respect of the original place than Sverre Fehn.
In this peculiar case, these buildings are both from the same time and those similarities are not amazing. After the second world war the communication and the exchange of ideas were easier. Although we call this period Modernism, each realization take place both in an international vision for life with foreign influences and in particular adaptation to the context of the country. Thus it is difficult to me to declare which building is Nordic or which is not.
Even if I cannot assure that a building is “Nordic” and only Nordic, I tried to point out certain elements of the buildings I have seen in the Nordic countries.
As we saw in lectures, Nils-Ole Lund thinks that Nordic architecture is determined by a social, cultural and historical phenomenon. On the other hand, Christian Norberg-Schulz sees Nordic architecture as a phenomenon coming from medieval times and characterized by the Nordic landscape, its climate and its light.
According to the opposite visions of Christian Norberg-Schulz and Nils-Ole Lund, those elements have a different origin. Some are from Nordic nature and some are from Nordic culture. Nobody couldn’t say who’s right and who’s wrong and this is not the goal. But as a foreigner student in Sweden, I noticed characteristics that strikes me and to some extent when these are gathered, makes me feel something particular, some kind of Nordic.
With some architectural dispositions, like large openings in the walls, a lot of well design courtyard with some vegetation, create a real connection to nature and allows me to feel the weather and what’s happening outside.
Moreover, lots of building we visited seems to be fitted between the trees, as if nothing had been touch to construct the building.
As example the architects of the Mortensrud Church, near Oslo, didn’t cut down the trees in front of the main entrance. The relationship with the outer world is accentuated by the long transparent wall in the nave and in the restaurant, even if I’m not sure those kind of space are really pleasant for a sacred space. Unlike the traditional churches, there is an inversion of the coming light, thus most of the light doesn’t come from above but from the same level of us.
In the same way, the typology of the Sigrid Undset Museum in Lillehammer protects a little grove of trees that we have to cross to see the old house. The ramp bypasses a tree to get us to the other side. The whole inner wall is glazed to bring the landscape at the inside of the building.
Nordic architects have developed a special awareness and sense of clarity concerning one of the most important elements for Northerners : the light. This sensibility for the different tonal qualities of light, and the extremely conscious use of light as the most important form producing and space-defining element, is perhaps the most remarkable common feature of Nordic architecture.
Even if it’s a bit strong to get this whole glazed roof, the Hamar Cathedral makes us experience the nordic light with the low extremely shinny sun and appreciate the colors of the changing skies.
Natural and Local materials
The traditional architecture used local materials taken from the surroundings. I think contemporary architects uses as much as possible natural and local materials as modernist architects used to, in order to get a specific atmosphere.
In Hamar Bispegaard Museum designed from 1969 to 1973, Sverre Fehn uses a glulam wooden structure to cover the ruins. He also uses wooden formwork for the concrete ramps to create relief like stone walls of the former building.
When I came to Sweden, what struck me is the large and numerous openings in the walls. Of course, the need of the light as much as possible during the short days. The often lack of shutters or curtains could find an explanation in the former nordic protestant tradition. The curtains are the “devil’s underwear” and if you put some behind your windows, as a certain way, it’s because you have something to hide.
The Kellokas co-housing in Helsinki by Karin Krokfors Architects is one example among many recent and old realizations where I noticed the prominence and the attention given to the windows. According to me, these openings are characteristics of the Nordic architecture.
Another thing I noticed is that architects don’t use the reinforced concrete alone in a building. Unlike the south countries as in Italy or in Brazil where a rough concrete brings freshness, nordic architects use it, most of the time, with some wood to get a warmer atmosphere in the building. In this way, there is a differentiation between the outside (cool rough concrete and colors) and the inside of the building. I think this warm atmosphere is not a manner to use the surrounding trees but a human need to feel comfortable in a dwelling. The subtle curves broke the angles and also make the building more livable.
We saw it in one of the Sverre Fehn’s last building : the Gyldendal Publishing House in Oslo, built in 2007. He uses a concrete structure for the entire courtyard but he designed it with a lot of wood like for the floor and the underside of the corridors.
In the same ways, I saw a very straight building in the facade of the Gunnar Asplund’s Göteborg Law Court Extension. But the interior is the complete opposite because of the use of wood and the natural light coming from above. With its simple form and subtle curves, Asplund brings a particular modernity to soften the rigors of the concrete building and make us feel more comfortable in it.
In the buildings we visited during this course, I have seen, to some extent, a reflection for a more democratic society. Unlike the others elements I tried to point out, it is more difficult to “prove” this attention to democratic sense.
I found a specific example in the Oslo Opera House by Snøhetta, and I compared it with a similar project built in Paris, The Grande Bibliothèque de France by Dominique Perrault. Those two projects are beautiful, like diamonds in its settings. But there’s a difference. In the french national library you cannot up into the towers to see Paris or down in the inner garden. It seems like you are stuck in the medium stage and you can not evolve and develop you knowledge.
In the other hand, more than a public building, the Oslo Opera House offers a public place where you can climb on and admire, at any time of the day or night, with a large view, the whole city of Oslo. Thus I think the Operahuset tends to be a democratic architecture.
To Conclude, as we saw in the first part, it’s difficult to me to specify which building is a Nordic architecture and which is not, because so many examples could be taken to assert or to invalidate opposite points of view.
But thanks to the study trip, I have form my own idea, and I tried to sum up some arguments. I think there is some particularities that makes me feel a building fit in the landscape and take place in a Nordic country. And as I said, these reasons are both coming from surrounding environment and strong cultural practices.
