A S T R U P S V I S N I N G S S E N T E R
The Astrup Visitor Centre is conceived as part of the site’s steep landscape, weaving architecture, terrain and movement together between the hillside, Jølstravatnet and Astrupstunet.
Nikolai Astrup was a Norwegian painter and printmaker whose work was closely rooted in the landscape and everyday life of Jølster. At Astruptunet, where he lived and worked, Astrup and his wife Engel transformed the steep hillside into a cultivated landscape of terraces, gardens and buildings that became both their home and a recurring subject of his work.
The visitor centre continues this close relationship between building and landscape. A series of stepped volumes are embedded into the hillside, largely concealed by the rising ground towards Astruptunet so that the historic farmstead and its landscape retain their presence. Towards Jølstravatnet, the building gradually emerges from the slope, while green roofs, terraces and paths extend the landscape across its different levels.
The steep site creates two points of arrival, with buses entering at road level and cars arriving three storeys above. Reception, café and the beginning of the exhibition occupy the middle level, overlooking a generous stepped foyer descending towards the lower entrance. Outside, stairs and seating rise between the building volumes, connecting this central level with the landscape above and the route towards Astruptunet.
The exhibition continues this movement through the terrain. Visitors descend along an enclosed ramp before arriving at a large window overlooking Jølstravatnet, where the landscape itself becomes part of the exhibition experience. From here, the route continues into the main gallery below.
In collaboration with Chris Worsfold / AWA architects and Vigdis Sandli-Ødegård / landscape architect.
Client: Musea i Sogn og Fjordane
Date: 2024
Location: Jølster, Norway
Status: Competition
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