Interiors

The French Hall at the National Gallery

Project information

  1. Location Oslo‚ Norway
  2. Construction cost8 mill NOK

Project details

  1. Design by Kristin Jarmund Architects (now part of Nordic)
  2. Year2001 — 2002
  3. Client The Directorate of public construction and property / Statsbygg
  4. Enquiries Graeme Ferguson

Restored to former glory

In preparation for introducing a new café in the National Gallery in Oslo, the original marbled stucco ornamentation and plaster-cast relief work lining the French Hall in the National Gallery were uncovered and restored to their former glory. Originally a gift from the French state in 1924, such opulent ornamentation demanded a considered and thoughtful intervention.

A free-standing ‘temple’

In response, we insisted on placing the kitchen and service spaces in an adjoining room, leaving the grandeur of the hall unblemished while also setting the stage for a single, free-standing ‘temple’.

Placed at the centre of the space, the temple comprises an assembly of multi-layered transparent and translucent glass shelves and display stands. In sharp contrast to the elaborate and moulded ornamentation of the enveloping hall, the design is clean, minimal, and contemporary in its form and detailing. It also conceals the new ventilation system placed at its centre.

The project received an honourable mention in the Norwegian Lighting Award in 2003.