Schools/Culture

Grieg Academy

Project information

  1. Location Bergen, Norway
  2. Area9.000 m²

Project details

  1. Year2022 — ongoing
  2. StatusUnder development
  3. Partners Norconsult
    Constructa
  4. Client Statsbygg
  5. Enquiries Thomas Lindgård Fagernes
  6. Scope Education environments
    Interior design
    New Build
    Nature based solutions
    Landscape design
    Culture buildings

When completed, the Grieg Academy in Bergen will be the new home for the Department of Music and one of Norway’s leading institutions for music education. Together with the adjacent building, they will become the Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design with a joint campus, creating an open and inclusive space for students with a high degree of public access.

The new school is strategically integrated into its context and features a variety of indoor and outdoor meeting points for students and the residents of Bergen. The Grieg Academy is a house for learning, producing and researching music as well as a venue for performances and exhibits with several formal and informal stages throughout the campus.

The building’s heartbeat

Our design concept was based on creating a dynamic environment for the students with a connection to the local context and the city of Bergen. The main lobby, the canteen, a spacious amphitheatre and other open seating areas wrap around the three main performance halls. The lobby is open and inviting and is used as a study space during the day and as a public space with dining in the evening.

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The amphitheatre staircase

The staircase is designed as a continuous element on both sides of the building with both indoor and outdoor zones for socialising, studying and relaxing on several levels. The lobby’s transparency continues from the amphitheatre staircase to level 2 and provides a view of the campus from the interior and is a showcase of this active part of the school from the exterior. The lower part of the staircase will have a small stage used for performances with an acoustic curtain.

Acoustics and materiality

The acoustical quality is one the most important criteria for the new Grieg Academy. In addition to the three main performance halls, the building hosts rehearsal rooms with different acoustical requirements. The three main halls are located on the ground floor. By establishing a main corridor in the back of the halls with direct access from the delivery route, we ensured that the new academy has well-functioning logistics. Some of the spaces on the second level, including the larger seminar rooms, are shared with the neighbour building. Level three and four contain the smaller rehearsal rooms for the students and employees with access to the green courtyard.

By establishing these different programmatic zones, the building gives users options for both open and private and calm environments. Almost all the spaces have natural daylight and provide a pleasant environment for performing, studying or researching. The materiality and colour palette help to create a lively, yet comfortable atmosphere.

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Feeling of belonging

The landscape room in between the two university buildings connects them together into one joint campus. The forecourt of the KMD building (Art & Design) expands towards the Grieg Academy where a generous amphitheatre is embedded in the square for outdoor concerts. This is where the school meets the city.

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