National museum of art, architecture and design at the Vestbanen

The proposal for the new National Museum of Norway is called the Magic Box. The Museum is located in one of the most well-known and popular areas of Oslo on the site of the old Railway Station West, Vestbanen, by the significant City Hall and across the Akershus fortress.

The scale and materials of the Magic Box relate to this very unique location in Oslo. The building will be an architectural landmark in the city and rooted in the local context. It interacts with its surroundings by means of for instance its brick facade, which matches the monk bricks of Akershus as well as the sophisticated brickwork of the City Hall.

The artistic boxes of the floors create a dramatic foyer, which rises as a canyon through the Museum and becomes the grandiose circulation space of the building. The interior of the Museum is an open, bright and floating space, which appears as an integrated part of the facade from the outside.

The foyer takes visitors from the pulsating life of the city to a peaceful and breathtaking view of the city and fjord. Besides enjoying the view from the various plateaus, visitors can take a look into the exhibitions. The artistic boxes are connected by means of interior stairs, which create alternative, inner flows between the floors.