Vikingtidsmuseet Proposal

The Viking ships and Arneberg's buildings are both individually, as well as in connection with each other, iconic elements. Our design is based on the assumption that the ships can be moved out of the buildings to establish a new exhibition program and that the building will remain a meaningful manifest and bearer of history without housing the ships. We consider this move the best way to continue the legacy that has been unearthed.

The Viking ships are unique in a global context and present the exhibition’s main attraction. Their greatness can be appreciated in their context from the distance, as well as being studied up close when leaving the icon trail. All ships are placed as if they were sailing – an armada on its way to Constantinople or to discover the new world. The larger objects like sleighs, wagons or lion heads are set up like they are part of a funeral procession, bringing the past back to life.

The new building will be located discreetly in the landscape behind the existing museum and created from materials that connect the building to the ground it will be barely visible from the surrounding areas. Towards Huk aveny in the south a generous forecourt will be established. Planted with pine trees and covered with light, gravel reinforced grass, the forecourt will be a central part of the main access for pedestrians and cyclists.

The construction site behind the old museum is considered to be limited by the rock beneath the ground.. Parts of the rock – a symbol of our origins – will be exposed. On this bedrock floors and platforms will be installed following a pattern akin to an excavation site. Ramps will span between the levels to create a flexible grid where the exhibition grounds can be designed in greater detail in collaboration with the museum. The past and the elements that make it accessible and understandable to us are brought back underneath the earth. The ships and other objects are back to where they came from – to be studied by visitors in their element. The bedrock will be a natural part of the exhibition and can further be a resting point for the public and especially for children.