Sharp-edged peaks rise up from the landscape as if carved out of the surrounding rock. While the weathered pine façade blends seamlessly into the stony terrain, its shape clearly sets the structure apart from its backdrop. Only the discreet cross at the very tip of the spire reveals that this futuristic construction must be a church. It is in fact the multiple award-winning Knarvik Kyrkje, which sits on a hill above the eponymous town on the south-west coast of Norway.

Knarvik Kyrkje was built in 2014 to a design by Oslo-based studio Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter. It not only supplied new space for local worship, but also provided the town with a cultural centre that is also used for secular events. Moreover, the structure is an impressive architectural landmark that attracts large numbers of visitors and has become a permanent fixture in the region’s travel guides. This extraordinary sacred building has managed to create a link between the history of the country’s architectural culture and present-day construction.

The world’s oldest wooden buildings

Churches built out of wood are nothing new in Norway. Rather, they are an important part of the country’s cultural heritage. These stave churches are among the oldest preserved wooden buildings in the world. The oldest of them all is Urnes Stave Church on the eastern shores of the Lusterfjord, which has been named a UNESCO World Heritage site. First built in 1100, it is therefore around 1000 years old.

These medieval wooden churches are the ultimate proof of the durability of wood as a renewable building material. Together with its ability to lock up carbon over the long term, the new materials employed in constructional timber design are an important part of the path towards climate neutrality. Owing to their outstanding structural properties, nowadays they are also used for building high-rise towers, metro stations and football stadiums.

Stave church with modern interpretation

These stave churches have a structural framework made of vertical masts that bear the roof construction. Besides wood as the building material, another of their characteristic features is the upright design. In the small, windswept town of Knarvik, the new church with its futuristic appearance is a modern reading of the 1000-year-old structures. “The inspiration for the church came primarily from the natural features of the area. But also from the local tradition of Norwegian medieval stave churches. The church is distinctive and simple in its geometry, materials and design,” architect Reiulf Ramstad explained to Swedish timber construction magazine “Trä!” shortly after the church was completed.

Even in the early stages of development, the architects were convinced that the church should be built out of wood. “We chose wood mainly because it’s such a traditional construction material in Norway. We know our wood here,” says Ramstad. “But it was also important for the organic, living feel it conveys, and its purely aesthetic properties.”

A place for everyone

Unlike the stave churches, this construction is not made entirely of wood. The support structure is a steel frame that is clad with pine wood on the inside and outside. Contrasting with the raw, weathered look of the façade, the interior of the church has a highly Scandinavian aura. “Hygge” is another much-quoted word that springs to mind here, which describes both a comfortable and cosy Nordic ambience and also the feeling of being together as a community.

Like several other churches built in recent years in the Far North, Knarvik Church is not exclusively tailored to Christian congregations. Instead, it is designed as a space for all. Lately, churches have also become performance venues for rock and pop concerts. Opening up these buildings to the whole community means that they can survive in a society that is becoming increasingly secularized.

A place that conveys identity

As congregations have been increasingly shrinking in recent decades, many churches – and not just in Scandinavia – are now in danger of fading into insignificance. New approaches to content and architecture offer a way to counteract this, such as in Knarvik.

“The people of Knarvik have long been looking for a way to unite the community. The new church fulfils this function and has become not only a place for religious gatherings, but also a cultural centre for art and a venue where young people can sing and learn to play instruments,” explains Reiulf Ramstad.

Thanks to the concept by Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter, the church in Knarvik is ultimately also a place that conveys identity. “The architecture of the church, the spatial solutions and the choice of materials combine religion, culture and local history.”

Text: Gertraud Gerst
Translation: Rosemary Bridger-Lippe
Photos:  Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter, Hundven-Clements Photography