Stormen Concert Hall and Library by DRDH Architects

Stormen Concert Hall and Library in Bodø, Norway was presented at the AT Awards live finals on 18 September 2024. Learn about how the project has stood the test of time.

Completed
2014

Won in international competition, DRDH’s Stormen Concert Hall and Library define a new cultural quarter in the Norwegian city of Bodø. The two buildings, containing a library and a concert hall and theatre, form an urban ensemble that recalls classical archetypes, the post- war modernity of the city, and the mundane sheds of its working port. From the harbour they visually conjoin announcing Bodø to the sea, while their white, engineered stone façades capture the Arctic light.

Planned around a grand public stair and an interior ‘street’ connecting city and harbour, the library comprises a diverse array of functions at ground level. Above, a generous reading room addresses the sea through the glazed façade. This is overlooked by the more intimate children’s library, nestled beneath an undulating tent-like roof.

The concert hall and theatre provide three flexible performance spaces. A studio theatre and a jazz/rock venue support the main hall above, which can be transformed from a symphonic hall into a proscenium theatre. Public foyers are arranged along two edges, while back of house spaces occupy the opposing sides.

The project employs a fabric-first strategy, with thermal mass, triple glazing, and high levels of insulation and airtightness providing environmental performance akin to Passivhaus.