Plassen Cultural Center / 3XN

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• Curated by ArchDaily
THEATER, EXHIBITION CENTER, GALLERY
•

MOLDE, NORWAY

• Architects: 3XN
• Year: 2012
• Photographs:Adam Mork
• Manufacturers: Otretek
Text description provided by the architects. The Norwegian city of Molde has just 25,000
inhabitants, but every July the biggest stars of jazz and about 100,000 jazz enthusiasts
flock to the town's world famous international jazz festival. In designing the city's new
cultural center, the challenge faced by 3XN was to create a building that was flexible and
robust enough to provide a framework for cultural life on both scales.

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© Adam Mork

"There must be room for celebration in this building, both inside, on top of it and
around it. And it must be able to withstand being invaded by happy people throughout
the year - year after year―, says Head of Competition and Partner of 3XN, Jan
Ammundsen about the Danish architectural practice’s most recently completed
project, ‘Plassen’.

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© Adam Mork

Located in the city center and overlooking both the fjord and the mountains, the
‘Plassen’ cultural center is an obvious meeting point. With an optimal use of every
square meter, 3XN has created a building that can function both when a hundred and
100,000 people gather for concerts, festivals or theater.

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© Adam Mork

The architectural solution is a structure where almost all surfaces and spaces have more
than one function. Together with the building’s roof, an existing staircase next to the
building constitute a total of three outdoor amphitheatres that collectively
accommodate several thousand spectators. During the day the roof offers a café with
outdoor seating, a recreational area with splendid views and exhibition space for the
building's gallery; while the staircase on the side of the building is an essential link
between the city's upper and lower districts.

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© Adam Mork

"Plassen is a compact and chaste construction, but by giving the shape a number of
breaches, we have created a diversity in its expression, which means that it is flexible
and roomy, without seeming very big" explains Jan Ammundsen, who has emphasized
that the building of nearly 6000 m2 and three floors should adapt to the relatively small
properties located around it.

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© Adam Mork

The same bright granite is used on all exterior surfaces and gives the building a bright
monochrome expression that in the evening is contrasted by a warm red light coming
from the heart of the building – the concert hall - around which other features, such
as a library, café, exhibition space and performance areas are distributed. The warm
color scheme of the interior combined with the solid hardwood floors and plenty of
natural light result in a friendly and informal environment, which together with the
many entrances make the building seem inviting and accessible to all.

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© Adam Mork

"It is a building that solves many challenges, and that gives us something we've missed
for a long time" says the head of the jazz festival, Jan Ole Otnæs. "First, it makes it
possible to offer audiences and artists a much better experience both in terms of actual
concert halls, but also because of the outdoor performance areas that have a unique
view of the fjord, the city and the mountains. Secondly, the building connects the
city’s two districts, creating a social hub for Molde".

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Elevation

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