Kistefos Museum picks Christ & Gantenbein to lead expansion

Norway's Kistefos Museum has announced Swiss firm Christ & Gantenbein as the winner of the international design competition to design a new museum building at its campus an hour north of Oslo. 

The team was selected from a list of eight shortlisted firms announced in March 2025, which also included Kengo Kuma, Snøhetta, Lina Ghotmeh, SO – IL, Ensamble Studio, Jensen & Skodvin / Hølmebakk Øymo, and BIG (who already designed a twisting sculpture exhibition space for the museum in 2019).

Set to open in 2031, the new building will become the permanent home for the art collection of Norwegian investor and the museum’s founder, Christen Sveaas. The competition called for a “leading zero-energy and zero-emissions building that is an exemplar of sustainable design and practices.”

According to the museum's announcement, Christ & Gantenbein’s proposal features a radial design with a distinctive roof that integrates photovoltaic shingles, along with a large central eye that will invite daylight into the interior. The building will include regionally sourced wooden columns to reflect the surrounding forest.

Images of the winning design have not been revealed yet, so stay tuned for more updates.