DESIGN

Norway's DuVerden Maritime Museum

"To be the master of one's fate, to be the captain of one's soul."
22 July, 2016
For those visiting the DuVerden Maritime Museum and Science Center in Norway, those famous echoes of the 19th-century poem "Invictus" take on a new meaning.
Visitors at the museum can step up to take command at the helm of a simulated ship, navigating a Skien River journey. That river runs through Porsgrunn, home to a museum with its own architectural spirit of adventure – including an aluminium exterior that changes colors with the weather and season.

The DuVerden museum opened its doors in 2013, following a design competition won by Danish architects COBE and TRANSFORM, with construction carried out in collaboration with Sweco engineers. The visually stunning museum tells the story of Norway's transformation from its historic shipping industry to a modern society and knowledge-based economy. The complex is as smart as it is spectacular: DuVerden features interactive learning designed especially for children (along with adults) to explore history, science and technology.
Weather, for example, is experienced through a unique "weather turntable" that illustrates varying meteorological conditions and their impacts. Spin the turntable hard, and it will create a storm wind. The museum also is home to a 50-seat amphitheater that is used for 3D film showings and lectures.

It is the architectural brilliance of the DuVerden Museum that really takes its guests by storm, including residents of Porsgrunn whose skyline is enhanced by a structure designed with an uncommon sensitivity to time and place. The city has a long and storied shipping tradition, and the regional character is clearly visible in the museum building as well as the adjacent and connected Road and Traffic Center next door.
The museum's contemporary design is integrated with and honors the historical value of original wood buildings, while the new zig-zag shape of the museum uses pitched roofs that move at different angles and directions to evoke a sense of wave and motion. The aluminium façade is constructed with small sheets that replicate the scales of maritime creatures sparkling in the sea, with an overall effect that allows the museum's roof to tie the new building into a whole – and into its context at the river's edge.
The aluminium, provided by a local producer, picks up the reflections of the sea and the weather in endless combinations. But beneath the DuVerden Museum roof, simplicity is the rule in both form and function. All museum exhibits are housed on the first floor, where they are easily accessible and benefit from floor-to-ceiling windows that meet the zig-zag wall construction in varying and angular lengths. The airy, sunlit first floor also is home to shops, offices, and a sailor association based in Porsgrunn's port.

In a building finely tuned to Norway's maritime history and environmental setting – and with such carefully chosen earth-friendly materials – it is no surprise that the DuVerden is a center of learning on climate issues. A large installation in the museum's climate and energy "zone" is set up as a control room on climate development. It allows visitors to make decisions – on an individual and family basis, or for the entire planet – by planning how resources are used and various game challenges are met. Other DuVerden adventures include miniature tugboat rides on the river, 3D modeling classes, marine life exhibits, and a range of summer classes during the holiday season that runs from mid-June to mid-August.
Banner image: Telemark Museum