The FRAM Museum will take on a new extension dedicated to polar exploration and environmental education. Designed by Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter, the winning proposal of the invited architectural competition, Framtid, or Future is centered on the idea that “architecture exemplifies how we care for our environment”.

Located on Oslo’s museum island, Bygdøy, with multiple cultural and maritime neighboring spaces, as well as parks and gardens, the FRAM Museum’s newest building will generate gathering places, exhibition spaces, a café and an auditorium to the current installations, “which display ships and artifacts from early polar expeditions”. A symbol of Norway‘s significant participation in polar exploration, the museum inspires guests to “seek knowledge on environmental education in regards to current climate change and sustainable solutions”.

Following the site’s topography, the project puts in place long, simple volumes organized perpendicularly to the water, with generously lit gathering places facing the fjord. On another hand, “the exhibition spaces, deep in the building, offer full light control for sensory experiences and connect to the three other wings through passages”. From the northern side, by the shore and boat shuttles, people can access the café. Moreover, a flexible exterior amphitheater used for daily café operations can transform into a gathering space where school classes or large groups of visitors can meet up. The shore, currently private, now becomes freely accessible to all citizens.

In order to minimize the environmental impact of the new addition, Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter adopted a sustainable approach with a simple, full-span wooden hull for high levels of flexibility and adaptability. Concrete is limited to infrastructure elements, and locally sourced wood is used for the cladding and the structure.