Allmannajuvet Zinc Mine Museum by Peter Zumthor
The Allmannajuvet Zinc Mine Museum is a project designed by Peter Zumthor, having been commissioned in 2002 by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to design a tourist attraction to welcome tourists and revitalise the history of the mining area of Sauda. The site consists of a museum building, a café building, toilet and parking facilities, paths and stairs that make up the project designed by Zumthor. Each of the buildings, although designed slightly different, are constructed in the same style. Each of the buildings were prefabricated in Saudasjøen and then assembled in Allmannajuvet. The exterior support system consists of creosote impregnated laminated wood. The exterior walls of the buildings consist of 18 mm plywood sheets and jute burlap, coated with a German acrylic material (PMMA) With my project, I chose to focus on the museum building as it held the most significance to the site.
The Allmannajuvet Zinc Mine Museum, approximately a 6 ½ hour journey from the Norwegian capital of Oslo, is located in the municipality of Sauda, southern Norway
As part of the Norwegian Scenic Route Ryfylke, the museum spans along the Allmannajuvet gorge at the site of the original abandoned zinc mine, which was operated for 18 years between 1881 and 1899
Peter Zumthor is a world-renowned Architect originally from Basel, Switzerland. Zumthor originally trained as a cabinet maker between 1958 and 1962, later establishing his own architecture practice in 1979. He has designed a wide array of wellknown projects that many Schools of Architecture study today such as the Therme Vals, the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion and, of course, the Allmannajuvet Zinc Mine Museum. Throughout his career, he has won multiple awards including the Praemium Imperiale in 2008, the Carlsberg Architecture Prize in 1998, the Mies van der Rohe Award for European Architecture in 1999, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture in 2006, the Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize in Architecture in 2008, the 2009 Pritzker Prize as well as the 2013 RIBA Royal Gold Medal, all of these achievements are especially impressive when considering his relatively small practice and approximately 15 members of staff.
Zumthor is well known for his particular outlook on architecture, constructing pure, austere structures, which have been described as timeless and poetic, as well as uncompromising and minimalist. He takes great consideration for each aspect of a projects design, having a slow and methodical approach to each project.
Museum Building Exterior
Museum Building Interior
Café Building Exterior
Café Building Interior
