Elisabet Sundin Architecture

Before Christmas 2017 we teamed up with architects Mar plus Ask for this competition entry in the open competition for a Forest Finn Museum in Svullrya, Norway. Beautifully situated in the forest next to the Rotna river, we tried to depict a museum space able to fully invite you into the mystical world of the Forest Finns. 

Adjacent to the car park, the visitors would find the museum entrance consisting of the enlightened museum logo on a characteristic rammed earth wall. This entrance gate will lead you to a long ramp on the other side.

Slowly descending on the ramp, surrounded by the forest, you would arrive at a dark elevated building, covered in tar. Greeting you under the roof on arrival, is a constant burning smoke fire, as a symbol of the traditional smoke cottages used by the Forest Finns.

Here you can either continue out on a tongue in the water and experience the river view and sound of the stream, or choose to go left into the exhibition space and library or right into the café and seminar spaces. The interior is designed in a constant widening and narrowing of spaces, letting the visitor experience the building to the fullest.

The construction is entirely in wood and designed on a modular basis, making it possible for both quick changes of walls in the exhibition spaces as well as possible future extensions of the museum.

In the forest surrounding the museum you will find a system of pathways and glades curated in different themes intended for school classes and other visitors to explore the rich culture of the Forest Finns.