The invitation to compete followed a previous open competition win for the masterplan of the city’s Cultural Quarter in 2008. Both buildings respond to the particularities of their context, situated between city and landscape, whilst maintaining a familial relationship that creates an urban ensemble.
Externally, both façades display a trabeated construction of pre-cast concrete, with an aggregate of local white stone. Forms rhyme between them. Roofs and towers speak to one another and the library establishes a horizon, across which the Concert Hall surveys the dramatic landscape of sea and mountains.
Internally however the buildings offer quite different characters. The Concert Hall has three auditoriums compactly placed from east to west across the site. In the centre is the 944 seat Main Hall and the fly tower; with two smaller performance spaces situated below it, at lower ground level.
The Main Hall offers a new typology that embodies the visual and acoustic qualities necessary for a concert hall, alongside the technical and performance characteristics of a theatre. Supporting functions wrap around and over these performance spaces.
A sequence of generously proportioned public rooms connect the auditoria around the two sides of the building that face onto the principal streets, while back-of-house facilities wrap around the opposing sides. The principal spaces of the Library describe an open internal landscape, which focuses upon the main reading space with its glazed elevation to the harbour.
The building includes a number of other community functions including a flexible performance space, a gallery, a multifunction room and a café. These are defined as a series of rooms that face the city streets.
The building is open to both the city and the harbour, with entrances connected by an internal street. The children’s library, at the top of the building, is more intimate, nestled beneath an inverted roof form and focused around an external play court.
DRDH Architects have been responsible for the complete architectural design of the two buildings, including Acoustic and Theatre design with Arup London and cost quantification and analysis. Throughout the detailed design stages, the project has been coordinated through extensive use of Building Information Modelling (BIM).
Procured through a form of Construction Management, the contracts have been tendered on full production information produced in London. DRDH have also delivered the FF&E across both buildings and have developed the way finding and signage strategy with Oslo based designers Neue. Source by DRDH Architects.
Location: Bodø, Norway
Architects: DRDH Architects
Directors: Daniel Rosbottom, David Howarth
Project Team Leader: Jillian Jones
Project Team Concert Hall: Ewan Stone (project architect), Patrick Haymann (project architect Main Hall), Mayuko Kanasugi, Jacob Sjöblom, Phoung Pham, Jef Driesen
Project Team Library: Richard Marks (project architect), Paolo Scianna, Victoria Jessen Pike, Cecilia Sjöholm
Project Management: Rambøll Norge As, Trondheim
Regulation Architect: Dark Arkitekter AS., Oslo
Structural Engineer: Norconsult AS/Arup, Bodø / London
Services Engineer: Norconsult AS/Arup, Bodø / London
Acoustic Consultant: Arup Acoustics/Brekke Strand, London / Oslo
Theatre Consultant: Arup Venue, London
Landscape: Dark Arkitekter AS, Oslo
Façade Engineer: Ramboll Facades Ltd, London
Cost Consultant: Bygganalyse AS, Oslo
Fire Consultant: Norconsult AS, Bodø
Lighting Consultant: Norconsult AS, Bodø
Site Management: Byggteam AS Bodø/ Sweco Norge AS Bodø
Area: 17500.0 sqm
Overall Project Budget: NOK 1.180.000.000
Year: 2014
Photographs: David Grandorge, Ernst Furuhatt
