Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter reinterprets the traditional Norwegian wooden stave church, creating a modern chapel characterized by curved wooden surfaces and a huge pyramid-shaped spire
The architecture firm Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter wins among various architecture projects, the competition for the design of the Community Church for the village of Knarvik, in Norway, with a reinterpretation of the traditional Norwegian wooden church characterized by curved wooden surfaces and a large pyramid-shaped spire.
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Built on a rocky slope where four fjords meet, the building is inspired by the traditional Scandinavian church with planks, a kind of half-timbered structure and masonry originating from the Middle Ages, typically topped with an elaborate roof. The building uses simple and elementary geometries, materials, and constructions.
The church signals its function with a recognizable form where the spire, the sanctuary, and the chapel of the church are emphasized by ascending roof planes. Three triangular roof planes slope relative to the base of the wooden spire, which has a small cross placed on the top.
The structure of the roof dips in the center but rises at the edges to create tall windows reaching its highest point above the pulpit in front of the church, at the opposite end of the building. The outer walls are clad in strips of pre-aged pine to create a mottled coloration, designed to facilitate the integration of the building into the rural landscape.
On the facade facing the street, strips of wood and alternating glass panels run across both the upper and lower levels, giving the building a slatted appearance, while thin strips create a grid over a circular opening for a stained glass window. The building allows daylight to enter its volume through tall, narrow windows reminiscent of lancets. The glass entrance is slightly recessed, creating an elevated shelter.
The church is built on a simple rectangular plan. A large foyer and a large hall occupy the upper level, while offices and meeting rooms are located on the lower level. The main hall, which can accommodate a congregation of over 500 people, is lined with light pine. Individual seats with wooden and metal frames replace the traditional church pews.
The baptismal pool and the pulpit rest on delicate metal legs of a raised platform in front of a large circular window. A staircase descends through the foyer to the ground floor, surrounded by sliding glass walls that can be closed to separate the offices from the meeting rooms.
The project has been carefully adapted to an existing hill between built and natural environment, providing the church with a stimulating context of the surrounding landscape and heathland.
