Norway Church

Competition: January 2009

The brief for this open design competition was for a new church building in Hatlehol, just east of Alesund, Norway. The rural/sub-urban setting is in a gently sloping woodland, with spectacular views of the Storfjorden fjord and the Sunnmørealps mountains to the south.

Our concept was to lead the visitor through the woodland to a clearing, where they would find the tall nave of the church rising through the trees expressed in a twisting, 3-dimensional form of glue-laminated timber trusses. To contrast with this, all ancillary facilities are ‘off the earth’, with green roofs starting on the forest floor at the higher parts of the site, sweeping over the accommodation below.

A sustainable agenda ensures that the building can be self sufficient for all of its utility and energy needs.

Project team:
Seán Harrington, Ryan Gillespie, Gavin Smyth, Niall O’Muire.

Sustainability consultants: Delap and Waller Ecoco Ltd.

Structural Engineers: Price & Myers Engineers