Arts & Architecture - Norway - page 909

Stave Churches
Seemingly conceived by a whimsical child-like imagination, the stave church is an ingeni-
ous adaptation to Norway's unique local conditions. Originally dating from the late Viking
era, these ornately worked houses of worship are among the oldest surviving wooden
buildings on earth, albeit heavily restored. Named for their vertical supporting posts, these
churches are also distinguished by detailed carved designs and dragon-headed gables re-
sembling the prows of classic Viking ships. Of the 500 to 600 that were originally built,
only about 20 of the 28 that remain retain many of their original components.
Contemporary Architecture
Due to the need to rebuild quickly after WWII, Norway's architecture was primarily gov-
erned by functionalist necessity (the style is often called funkis in the local vernacular)
rather than any coherent sense of style. Nowhere is this exemplified more than in the 1950,
red-brick Oslo Rådhus . As the style evolved, functionality was wedded to other concerns,
such as recognising the importance of aesthetics in urban renewal (for example in Oslo's
Grünerløkka district), and ensured that architecture once again sat in harmony with the
country's environment and history.
Tromsø's Ishavskatedralen (Arctic Cathedral) , designed by Jan Inge Hovig in 1964,
mimics Norway's glacial crevasses and auroral curtains. Another beautiful example is the
Sami Parliament in Karasjok, where Arctic building materials (birch, pine and oak) lend
the place a sturdy authenticity, while the use of lights to replicate the Arctic night sky and
the structure's resemblance to a Sami lavvo are extraordinary. The creative interpretation of
historical Norwegian shapes also finds expression at the Viking Ship Sports Arena in
Hamar, while Oslo's landmark new opera house powerfully evokes a fjord-side glacier.