Skimuseet
A new era of the world’s oldest ski museum

It was crucial that the museum's new entrance would stand out from the existing construction and bring it out of the shadow. Since the jump itself and associated buildings are characterized by hard surfaces such as concrete, steel, stone, and dark colors, it was natural to contrast it with elements of softer and warmer surfaces.

The new façade consists of a five-meter tall glass wall partially clad by a curtain of Norwegian pine wood planks, 1207 pieces in total, inspired by the original material for skis, and the traditional wooden fence skigard. The cladding follows the façade longitudinally, sticking out at both ends, guiding visitors to the museum entrance, and at the same time creating a forecourt with light from the south.

The organic shape lets light in and out, giving the building a unique identity and creating a visual filter between the interior and the exterior. Before the entrance, the cladding is pulled aside, revealing the front door with a wavy movement shape.

The massive concrete pillars supporting the ski jump are, naturally, visible inside the new extension that was built afterward. Glulam frames serve as the new building's main structure, thus becoming a direct meeting point between the existing, hard, and the new, softer materials.

The density of the wooden battens of the façade is increased at the north end of the building so that the filter functions as sun shading. When the sun is out, daylight filters through the façade and casts shadows on the slate floor inside, while the effect is inversed in the evening.

Since the museum space is excavated from the rocks, with walls of concrete and slate floors, the interior is set to contrast this – like a cozy cabin you enter after a day out in the woods. The selection of materials is kept to a minimum, and its furniture colors are taken from the Norwegian skiing life - the classic, red anoraks, the green spruce forest, and the white snow.

The fixed interior and the bar tables are built from pine plywood with red linoleum surfaces. The upholstered chairs and the long sofa are clad with Norwegian wool textiles. The cubic tables are handmade by the client Skiforeningen, with raw pinewood from the forest around Holmenkollen. The lamps continue the cladding's movement through the glass façade to the north and are also specially designed.

In the new café area directly under the ski jump, leading to an outdoor dining area overlooking the city, the interior is inspired by the colors of the 1950s, a homage to the original ski jump and the Olympic Winter Games in Oslo in 1952. The blue-turquoise color palette was found on old posters from the Olympics. The textile-clad back of the sofa doubles as an acoustic surface, showcasing a variety of blues, from the icy, almost white, winter sky to a rich, midnight navy. The Viking lamps were initially made for the 1952 Olympics performer's hotel in downtown Oslo, and the City chair is also a Norwegian classic from the 50s.