Snøhetta designs Skamarken riverside development with mound-like theatre
Architecture studio Snøhetta is set to transform a former railway site into a riverside park and cultural destination in Drammen, Norway, adding a theatre and conference hall with an arched green roof.
Named Skamarken, the development will include the renovation of an existing building and the implementation of riverside activities alongside the mound-like building.
Commissioned by Norwegian developer Bane NOR Eiendom in a competition, Snøhetta plans to increase the coverage of green space on the former railway site from four per cent to 70 per cent, providing public leisure space that adds to the local biodiversity.
Designed with Norwegian architecture consultancy Asplan Viak and engineering firm Bollinger & Grohmann, it is hoped that the Skamarken development will better connect the city with the Drammen River.
Covered with an arching green roof, a low-lying building will contain a conference hall, theatre and additional performance space connected by a river-facing central foyer.
Meandering pathways and islands will be added to Skamarken's riverfront, populated with activities including kayak rentals, bathing facilities, saunas, an amphitheatre and an outdoor stage.
An existing building on the Skamarken site will be transformed into a hotel with a bar on the top floor.
Red-toned timber will line the long facades of the building, referencing the site's former factory buildings, and the riverside facade will be glazed.
Snøhetta plans to reuse the building's materials as much as possible, refashioning bricks as flooring, metal plates as interior walls, and windows to be remade into new ones.
Other waste materials, such as wood biochar, will be transformed into a soil mix to be used on the roof of the theatre building.
"It's important that the central areas along the Drammen River are filled in a way that benefits everyone, with space for social gathering, activity, and natural contact with the river, while also being developed with respect for the site's history, environment, and future needs," said Snøhetta project lead Anne Cecilie Haug.
"Snøhetta's proposal gives Drammen a new meeting place by the river, with space for both great moments and everyday life," added Bane NOR Eiendom project director Connie Nyhaven.
"This is a concept that could mean as much for Drammen as the Opera House and Deichman have meant for Oslo."
Other recent projects by Snøhetta include a creative hub with a public park in Bangkok and designs for a cavernous opera house in Düsseldorf.
The images are by Atchain and Snøhetta unless stated.
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