2_3_ScanMagazine_Issue_81_Oct-Nov_2015_Scan Magazine 1 15/10/2015 21:36 Page 80
Scan Magazine | Architecture Special | Norway
Materialising ideas
Upholding a promise to be as admirably unique as cleverly site-specific – not to mention proudly responsible – architecture firm Manthey Kula has made an unambiguous mark on structural expressions in Norway and abroad. From the functional to the poetic, its project portfolio represents a variety of expressions and a depth of meaning: materialised ideas in their utmost splendour. By Julie Lindén | Photos: Manthey Kula
“I’d say we’re quite expressive – or rather, that we believe in the power of expression,” says Beate Hølmebakk, partner at Manthey Kula. “Bringing ideas to life is what essentially motivates us. We strive to cater to and take responsibility for pragmatic functionality, without ceasing to seek out great designs. We never tire of telling new stories.” Honing beauty – Ode to Osaka However purposeful and attuned to function Manthey Kula’s projects are, an important cornerstone of these developments resides in a heightened and integrated aesthetic value. Representing this notion in its truest form is the installation Ode to Osaka, based on an idea of famous Norwegian architect Sverre Fehn. Commissioned by the National Museum – Architecture, the installation channels Fehn’s unbuilt competition proposal of a breathing space for the Osaka World Fair in 1970. In the hands of Manthey Kula, the idea took shape as a structure consisting of an airlock building and an inflated, moving space. The result? A unique experience of room and space that has to be seen – and felt. “We have an enormous respect for Fehn and his projects; we knew we were working with the groundwork of a master. The challenge was to make the project our own while preserving his intentions and ideas, making sure that we livened these in a good way,” says Hølmebakk. Not only is the construct’s conceptual basis unparalleled in the world, but its beauty has also been commended by many a spectator.
80 | Issue 81 | October 2015