
Iconic design and architecture brand Snøhetta’s recently completed project- the National Academy of the Art, which opened its doors in Bergen, is cladded in a unique prefabricated façade made of raw aluminium elements. The new structure built to endure the rainy climate of Norway west coast encloses a massive studio where KMD’s 350 art and design students can learn, collaborate, and share ideas under one roof.

The National Academy of the Art, Bergen, replaces the former Academy of Art & Design (KHiB) and combines the earlier faculty buildings into one edifice. It has two main axes–one internal, and one external.
It is the raw aluminium façade that has added the unique touch to the new complex.
Prefab raw aluminium elements clad the building’s exterior, with 900 varied sized seawater-durable crude aluminium elements protruding from the wall at varying distances. Large cantilevered box-shaped windows punctuate the rhythm of the metal surface. The crude aluminium surfaces can withstand the rainy coastal climate and will gradually weather and oxidize, heightening the variations in colours and textures.
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