Holmen Industrial Area
Colorful Headquarters for Fishing Industry Business
2014–2021
Introduction
On behalf of shipowner Holmøy Maritime, Snøhetta has designed Holmen Industrial Area, a highly sophisticated and colorful 6,000 square meter fishing facility situated on the eastern side of Sortlandssundet in the archipelago of Vesterålen in Northern Norway. By assembling all employees and top-notch facilities on the same site, this bold new facility ensures the regions continued international success within Norway’s second largest industry – an industry worth over one billion dollars annually.
The new facility intelligently blurs the distinction between the rawness of the fishing industry with a more polished corporate allure by subtly merging Holmøy Maritime’s trawling, fish farming and fish processing business and the company’s headquarters into four, distinctive buildings. The buildings also include a guest house that functions as a home away from home for employees that need to rest their eyes between shifts at sea or on land.
Technical details
Holmøy Maritime
Photos by Ketil Jacobsen
Oriented toward a first-class 126-meter-wide deep-water harbor plunging into the Norwegian Sea, the buildings are all organized and dimensioned to facilitate for activities at sea and on the mainland while also safeguarding and respecting the surrounding pristine North Norwegian landscape.
With its typical coastal climate, mild winters and cool summers, the islands of Vesterålen is home to a little over 32,000 inhabitants. The area has been a beacon of the Norwegian fishing industry for almost 1,000 years, and the region is famous for its highly nutritious ocean currents and its booming fauna and flora boosted by the Gulfstream which runs closer to the coastline here than anywhere else in the world.
Nature in the area is characterized by the rough ocean, sheer mountains and rainy skies that tend to hide the endless midnight sun in summertime.
Photo: Sebastian S. Bjerkvik
Mapping of the complex logistics
The Holmen Industrial Area carefully considers its context by creating a simple, yet logistically complex industrial typology that treads lightly in the landscape.
Snøhetta has conducted an extensive mapping of the complex logistics required to ensure that the quality of the fish meets the highest standards before being exported to the millions of people around the globe who consume Norwegian fish every day.
Functional materials such as aluminum façade cladding and concrete floors have been chosen for their aesthetic and durability and tocreate a contrast to the colorful details of the facility.
Photos by Stephen Citrone
A playful contrast to the sky
The colorful facility is inspired by the changing light conditions and spectacular landscape of Vesterålen and is organized in a simple rectangular shape that carefully camouflages in- and outgoing traffic from boats and trucks that shuttle between the facility, the sea and the mainland.
Warm colors ranging from red, subdued orange, yellow and green create a playful contrast to the sky, ocean and mountains of Vesterålen and distinguish themselves to the otherwise subdued metallic grey color and materiality of the facility and subtle wayfinding elements both on the inside and outside of the facility.
Photos: Sebastian S. Bjerkvik
Recreational areas
The client highly prioritizes the well-being of the employees. Large windows, open spaces with large glass surfaces, and good recreational areas are provided.
The administration building also contains a guest house with eight separate rooms named after different species of fish, where visitors or employees who work in shifts can rest after a tiring session.
Photo: Sebastian S. Bjerkvik
Photos: Sebastian S. Bjerkvik
Signage and wayfinding system
A subtle yet informative and functional wayfinding and signage concept imprints both the inside and outside of the facility. Typographically, inspiration has been taken from the maritime and industrial, with a tight and dense font. This has been supplemented in places with a stencil font with associations to shipping and marking of vessels. The materials are in line with hygiene and production considerations.
Shells and fish bones have been used both in contrast marking and on signs, and elements have then been taken further into the iconography. The naming of rooms and areas is based on either fish or place names from the local area.
Photo: Sebastian S. Bjerkvik
Photos: Sebastian S. Bjerkvik
Photo: Bjørn Eide/Øksnes Entreprenør AS