Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art
Tjuvholmen, Oslo’s cultural quarter, blends art, leisure, and urban renewal on the scenic waterfront. Featuring the Astrup Fearnley Museum, public sculpture park, and waterside promenade, it transforms former shipyards into a vibrant hub. Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, timber-clad museum buildings and a sweeping glass roof create a striking architectural landmark amid landscaped gardens, uniting culture and nature.
Connecting Art and Architecture: The Dynamic Spaces of the Astrup Fearnley Museum
The project is composed of three primary volumes interconnected by public throughways and bridges. The Art Museum, on the north side of the canal that cuts through the middle of the site, houses the Astrup Fearnley’s permanent collection of contemporary art. This building connects at ground level underneath the main stair and piazza on Tjuvholmen Allee, into the ground floor of the adjacent office building, where a private art collection is displayed.
To the south, over a footbridge across the canal, is the museum’s space for temporary exhibitions. Gallery space is spread over two floors, giving the visitor a diverse range of spaces and volumes to experience, shaped by the curve of the sloping roof and lit via a spectacular skylight. An exterior roof terrace at second floor level provides a generous exhibition space for sculpture.
The Landmark Glass Roof and Its Architectural Significance
A striking feature of the project is the vast glass roof that connects the buildings and anchors the complex on the waterfront. Its curved shape, supported by laminated wood beams and slender steel columns reinforced with cable rigging, echoes the maritime character of the site. The roof spans the canal between the buildings, almost touching the ground on Skjaeret, where a small pond prevents people from climbing on it. The roof’s glass has a white ceramic frit that reduces transparency by 40%, while low-iron glass on the facades enhances clarity and minimizes discoloration in the exhibition spaces.
Diverse Gallery Spaces hosting a broad range of contemporary art and generating an enhanced visitor experience
The gallery spaces under the curved roof provide varied lighting and spatial conditions that serve to elevate the visitor experience. The four-storey office building is centered around a day-lit atrium, with conference rooms and terraces on the upper floors offering spectacular views. The surrounding landscaping plays a key role in the project, with a waterfront promenade linking Tjuvholmen to the city center. Designed to attract a diverse range of visitors, the area includes a café, a swimming beach, and a sculpture park, all contributing to the creation of a vibrant and accessible public space.
Details on Foundation website
Project Details
Status
Client
Selvaag Gruppen / Aspelin Ramm Gruppen
Design
Renzo Piano Building Workshop, architects in collaboration with Narud-Stokke-Wiig (Oslo)
Design Team
E.Baglietto, O.de Nooyer (partners in charge), C.Sovani, with M.Aloisini, E.Filippetti, T. Førre, D.Hart, N. Herland, A.Hoogeboom, S.Ishida (partner), A.K.Karlsen, A.McClure, E.Moore, M.Neri, M.Orlandi, A.Scarpa and A.Gonzalez, M.Busk-Petersen, A.Leite Flores, E.Santiago, Y. Waterhouse; F.Cappellini, F.Terranova (models)
Consultants
AAS-Jacobsen, Seim & Hultgren (structure); Norconsult (mechanical engineering & fire prevention); PeR Rasmusseen AS (electrical engineering); Gullik Gulliksen, Bjørbekk & Lindheim (landscape); Arup (lighting & façade engineering); Eliassen og Lambertz-Nilssen Arkitekter AS (consulting architects for Schematic Design); Skandinaviska Glassystem (design assist contractor for roof system)
