Give a home for Christmas

For the second year in a row, Snøhetta has collaborated with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) to design a unique gingerbread house – building on the old Norwegian tradition of creating and decorating gingerbread houses for Christmas. This year’s edition is an untraditional house consisting of five repeated, hollow frames, together creating a void symbolizing a home that is no more. The design template can be purchased as part of NRC’s Christmas campaign “Give a Home for Christmas”, where all sales and donations go to their work in helping people in need to find shelter.

"With more than 120 million refugees worldwide, shelter is one of the most important assets we can provide to help those in need. Lives depend on rooms protecting against heat, cold, rain and wind. Our gingerbread non-house will hopefully encourage people to support NRC to fill in the missing walls and roofs,” says Snøhetta co-founder Kjetil Trædal Thorsen.

Last year, the sale of the gingerbread houses generated over 900,000 NOK in revenue for NRC. In addition, numerous businesses contributed substantial donations in support of the campaign. This year, the goal of the “Give a Home for Christmas” campaign is to surpass last year’s achievements, while also further raising awareness and fostering greater engagement for people who have lost their homes and are fleeing conflict.

You can read the full press release here.

The template for the gingerbread house can be purchased either as part of a full baking set with dough, baking glue and garnish at grocery delivery service Oda, or by itself at  NRC's website in digital or physical version. See links below.