5. September - October 2010

INTERNATIONAL
Credits/ Photos: Espen Grønli
Grelland Motorway
Service Station - By
the Way Motorway
Restaurant, Holmestrand
Lund & Slaatto Arkitekter AS
The building, based on the
winning entry in a competition
in 1997, is a cafeteria spanning
the motorway, a part of a
service stop with petrol stations
on either side. The design
is a conscious break with
the conventional Norwegian
roadside restaurants.
Placing the restaurant across
the road gives easy access from
both sides. A concrete structure
spans the road on one middleand
two end supports. On this
bridge, six columns support two
long girders, with a series of
transverse beams giving the roof
its curved shape. The functional
volumes are placed on this
bridge as separated volumes,
emphasising the sculptural
qualities of the floor plate and the
roof. The facades are full height
glass, with an automatic exterior
sunscreen shielding the building
and preventing glare for passing
motorists.
SYMBOL AND IDENTITY
Architecture presents and
represents.
A project can have a symbolic
value already before it is
realised. A building can signal
a political message, create a
regional identity and give a
sense of belonging.
The design of buildings of this
character presents several
challenges and forces certain
conscious considerations. An
obvious formal language and
superficial symbolism can run
counter to the development of a
unified, meaningful content.
The American architect Philip
Johnson held Frank Gehry’s
Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao
to be the most significant
building of the 20th century.
When asked how he rated the
building as a place to exhibit art,
he said: “When a building is as
good as this, fuck the art”.
Is it right to let symbolism take
precedence over functionality?
How obvious does the
symbolism need to be, and who
can actually read it? Should
architecture also be capable
of reinforcing the identities of
people with a different historical
or cultural background?
The buildings in this
category represent different
interpretations and solutions in
response to these challenges.
www.spacesnepal.com 54
September-October 2010