The award titled the A.C. Houen Fund’s Certificate for Outstanding Architecture

The award is named after its founder, the businessman Anton Christian Houen  (1823-94). It is awarded to architects who have created “building designs and completed buildings or complexes, and other types of physical design, that are outstanding, independent works of great architectural merit” in Norway.
This year’s jury was formed of the chair Alexandria Algard (architect, MNAL), Nina Berre (architect, MNAL, PhD), Knut Longva (architect, MNAL), and Ole Gustavsen (rector of the Oslo School of Architecture and Design) have awarded the certificate to four projects: Stormen Cultural Centre in Bodø, designed by DRDH Architects, Holmenkollbakken Ski Jump in Oslo, designed by JDS Architects, the Dalaker/Galta Farmhouse on Rennesøy outside of Stavanger, designed by Knut Hjeltnes Sivilarkitekter, and D36 - Green House in Oslo, designed by Element Arkitekter
Dalaker/Galta Farmhouse in Rennesøy by Knut Hjeltnes Sivilarkitekter is a small, new farmhouse full of personality located on an island in Western Norway.  The single-family house is located about 150 metres from the old farm buildings and part of it rests on the remains of an old pigsty. It has been elevated on columns above a rocky slope so as not to disturb the surrounding fields.
D36 - Green House in Oslo, designed by Element Arkitekter addresses one of the current architectural tasks of the present is to design functional housing in high-density cities and to integrate this housing in the existing urban fabric. The impressive building has been designed as a reminder of the trees that had to be felled to build it. The six-storey housing block includes 21 flats and a commercial space on the ground level, located on the corner overlooking the street.  The project features several innovative solutions that enhance the domestic quality and give something back to the city.
The studio JDS Architects was awarded for its Ski Jump Holmenkollbakken. High above Oslo’s rising landscape, as a gateway to the vast Nordmarka woodland, the landmark Ski Jump is impossible not to notice.  The project has solved the difficult task of maintaining the historic ski jump’s status as a national symbol, while simultaneously taking advantage of and building on its profile. The ski jump’s dynamic form dominates the expansive outdoor space whether from a distance or close-up, and it embraces both visitors and athletes.
The fourth of the award-winning projects is Stormen Cultural Centre in Bodø, designed by DRDH Architects. The new cultural centre in Bodø consists of a concert hall and a library, executed as two separate buildings carefully integrated into the existing urban fabric. The buildings complement the city streets, with each façade serving as a response to the specific urban contextual situations.
The A.C. Houen Fund’s Certificate was awarded for the first time in 1904 and, more recently, in 2015. 

Christiane Bürklein

A.C. Houen Fund’s Certificate for Outstanding Architecture
Location: Norway
Year: 2019
Images, see caption
1. Holmenkollbakken, Oslo, JDS Architects, Photographer / Source  Julien Lanoo
2. D36 - Green House, Element Arkitekter AS, Photographer / Source  Finn Ståle Felberg
3. Stormen kulturhus, Bodø, DRDH Architects, Photographer / Source  ©David Grandorge
4. Våningshus Dalaker/Grini, Rrennesøy utenfor Stavanger, Photographer / Source  Inger Marie Grini
1. Holmenkollbakken, Oslo, JDS Architects, Photographer / Source  Julien Lanoo
6. Våningshus Dalaker/Grini, Rrennesøy utenfor Stavanger, Photographer / Source  Inger Marie Grini
7. Stormen kulturhus, Bodø, DRDH Architects, Photographer / Source  ©David Grandorge
8. D36 - Green House, Element Arkitekter AS, Photographer / Source  Finn Ståle Felberg