The Archive House / Lund+Slaatto Architects

Architects: Lund+Slaatto Architects
Location: Stavanger, Norway
Area: 14700.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Sindre Ellingsen

Contractor: Kruse Smith
Landscape Architect: Brandsberg-Dahls Arkitektkontor
Client: Ipark Innovation Park / Smedvig Property

Text description provided by the architects. The Archive House covers 14 700 sqm with more than 70 kilometres of underground archives, making up almost half of the building’s total area. Above ground, the building contains offices, a cafeteria, and an exhibition area. The functions are organized around a central atrium where the main stairway and internal bridges connect the different parts of the building. The atrium has a large glass roof providing light for the inner workplaces and creates a bright, open area for the public functions. The offices are designed to be flexible and efficient with large windows providing daylight, as well as great views to the surrounding nature.

The façade cladding consists of wooden sections placed as a puzzle of folded elements. The window openings are integrated into the pattern of sloping lines, generating the characteristic shape of the windows, and a variation in the depth of the windowsills. The different angles of the facades continuously change the appearance of the building, with a play of light and shadow, depending on the season, weather and time of day. The geometrically folded façades transform the volume of the building and provide a playful feel, with associations to origami – the art of paper folding. The Archive House has a central position as the first building in an extensive development in Stavanger known as Southern Ullandhaug, where the new University Hospital will be built.

The main entrance of the building is located to the southeast, adjacent to the main avenue of the area. Emphasized through a large cantilevered area with a two-story glass façade, the transparent character of the entrance creates a visible connection between the inner atrium to the busy avenue outside. Sustainability is a key element in the design of the building, with a goal of creating a sustainable building with a high quality, low energy consumption, and a low CO2 footprint. The project has been awarded BREEAM-NOR Excellent certification, evaluating the project based on environmental performance ranging from health and environment to energy, transport, material use and ecology.