MAD about Jøssingfjord

MAD was awarded 2nd prize in the competition for a new museum in Jøssingfjord, Sokndal, on the south-west coast of Norway. There were 136 entries from 18 countries in the competition.

MAD’s proposal seeks to create a clear background from which the expansive spatial qualities of the landscape can be experienced. The horizontality of the valley floor is strengthened, allowing it to act as a counterpoint to the other defining elements of the landscape. The museum building is positioned in the innermost part of the site. In this way, two edges are defined: In the south-west, the tension in the meeting point between water, valley floor and mountain walls is maintained and strengthened. To the north-east, a central crossing-point is created between the new and the old, in terms of buildings, interactions and interventions in the natural terrain.