Undulating Identity
Turning an industrial environment into a cultural environment without losing its derelict charm.
Kilden, the Performing Arts Center in Kristiansand brings together the town’s Symphony Orchestra, regional Theater and the local opera ensemble with the citizens of Southern Norway. It can host more than 2.500 spectators. Kilden is defined by an undulating wooden wall built of local oak. The wall acts as an embodied border between reality and fantasy, and an interface between the building’s performances and the public. Meanwhile the rest of the building merges into the industrial background.
CREDITS: Ala Architects (Juho Grönholm, Antti Nousjoki, Janne Teräsvirta and Samuli Woolston with SMS Arkitekter/Erik Sandsmark), WSP, Arup, Brekke Strand, Sweco Grøner, Cowi, TPC, PROJECT: Kilden Performing Arts Center in , PROGRAM: Performing Arts Centre, CLIENT: TKS IKS Kristiansand, SIZE: 24.600sqm, COST: €140 million, LOCATION: Kristiansand, Norway, PHOTO: Hufton&Crow, STATUS: Completed 2011