Porsgrunn Maritime Museum

Maritime Museum and Science Center

  • How can we place a contemporary science center and museum in the scale of Porsgrunn?
  • The museum is placed in a context of small pitched roof buildings.
  • A massive 1.700 m2 of museum and science center functions is to be provided.
  • The building's functions fall into two categories: light and dark. The light and extroverted functions are located on the ground floor, and the dark and introspective museum facilities placed on the first floor.
  • The building is divided into smaller building components in order to inscribe it in the scale of the context.
  • The building components are stretched to let light into the ground floor creating a varied sloping roof.
  • Transversal section
  • Longitudinal section
  • Plan: Ground floor
  • Plan: First floor  
  • Ground floor
  • First floor
  • Building exterior

The city of Porsgrunn has a long maritime history of shipping and the unique development of the region is clearly visible in the existing building structure. The concept of the museum shows a high level of sensitivity towards the existing historical context, yet simultaneously standing out as a contemporary public building; the housing of a science center. Taking into account the surrounding building structure, the museum is composed of downscaled volumes with tilted roofs that are assembled into a larger building unit. A charismatic aluminum façade outlines the shape of the building composition.

Vanessa Carlow contributed to the project as part of COBE in Copenhagen.

Address:
Porsgrunn, Norway