AV MONOGRAPHS 246: SNOHETTA

"[Snøhetta's] work over more than three decades has been guided by a social and environmental responsibility reflected in the intimacy between the body in motion and nature. Avoiding a recognizable language, their buildings interact through physical contact. Be they large cultural headquarters or small residential pavilions, in the heart of a city or in a remote location, the projects by the global practice that started in Norway in 1989 are shaped both by the designers and by the interests and persons that converge in the work. From the Alexandria Library to the reindeer pavilion, and from the sleepless bustle of Times Square to the translucid serenity of the underwater restaurant, the structure is tightly woven into the organic ... In a more complex and difficult world, which it hopes to improve from the seven offices that dot the globe like a garland of imagination and discipline - from the first one in Oslo, through Paris, Innsbruck, Hong Kong, Adelaide and across the Pacific to San Francisco and New York -, Snøhetta faces today climate change with an environmental conscience determined to contribute to the decarbonization of the economy and construction through energy accounting and life cycle assessment of buildings; an ecological commitment present in their work from the beginning, but making their respect for nature compatible with the technical innovation and social relevance that also characterizes their versatile and inclusive approach"--From introductory essay, page 3.