This Norwegian bridge is also an art museum

By Francesca Street, CNN
2 minute read
Updated 10:51 AM EDT, Tue October 22, 2019
<strong>New museum</strong>: This is The Twist -- a bridge that also functions as an art museum. It's located in Norway's Kistefos Sculpture Park and was designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group.
New museum: This is The Twist -- a bridge that also functions as an art museum. It's located in Norway's Kistefos Sculpture Park and was designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group.
Courtesy Laurian Ghinitoiu
<strong>Doing the twist:</strong> The museum's name comes from the rolled roof, that creates a twisting effect.
Doing the twist: The museum's name comes from the rolled roof, that creates a twisting effect.
Courtesy Laurian Ghinitoiu
<strong>Multipurpose</strong>: "The Twist is a hybrid spanning several traditional categories: It's a museum, it's a bridge, it's an inhabitable sculpture," says Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner & Creative Director, BIG.
Multipurpose: "The Twist is a hybrid spanning several traditional categories: It's a museum, it's a bridge, it's an inhabitable sculpture," says Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner & Creative Director, BIG.
Courtesy Laurian Ghinitoiu
<strong>Sweeping views:</strong> The walkway-slash-museum has stunning views over the Randselva River.
Sweeping views: The walkway-slash-museum has stunning views over the Randselva River.
Courtesy Laurian Ghinitoiu
<strong>Striking interior: </strong>Inside, the aesthetic is also striking.
Striking interior: Inside, the aesthetic is also striking.
Courtesy Laurian Ghinitoiu
<strong>"A stack of books":</strong> The double-curve of the Twist is created via straight aluminum panels -- as BIG describes it, they're arranged "like a stack of books."
"A stack of books": The double-curve of the Twist is created via straight aluminum panels -- as BIG describes it, they're arranged "like a stack of books."
Courtesy Laurian Ghinitoiu
<strong>Deceptively simple: </strong>David Zahle, Parner at BIG, said the building was "extremely complex" to construct.
Deceptively simple: David Zahle, Parner at BIG, said the building was "extremely complex" to construct.
Courtesy Laurian Ghinitoiu
<strong>Sculpture park:</strong> Kistefos Sculpture Park is located at the site of a former wood pulp mill and opened in 1996.
Sculpture park: Kistefos Sculpture Park is located at the site of a former wood pulp mill and opened in 1996.
Courtesy Laurian Ghinitoiu
<strong>New addition:</strong> The Twist officially opened in September 2019.
New addition: The Twist officially opened in September 2019.
Courtesy Laurian Ghinitoiu
<strong>Power of nature:</strong> It's located in a beautiful spot in Norway, surrounded by natural forestry.
Power of nature: It's located in a beautiful spot in Norway, surrounded by natural forestry.
Courtesy Laurian Ghinitoiu
Inside the Twist, a Norwegian museum-meets-bridge
CNN  — 

A striking bridge meets an intriguing modern art museum meets the splendor of the Norwegian natural landscape in the Twist – the latest project from BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, located about an hour’s drive from Oslo.

The Twist – a new addition to the Kistefos Sculpture Park – connects the two sides of the Randselva River via a multipurpose walkway.

The museum’s name comes from the rolled roof, an intriguing stylistic choice.

“The Twist is a hybrid spanning several traditional categories: It’s a museum, it’s a bridge, it’s an inhabitable sculpture,” says Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner & Creative Director, BIG.

Visitors to Kistefos can cross the Twist to complete their circuit of the park, while also admiring the bridge as an attraction in its own right.

The Twist is a bridge that's also an art museum.
The Twist is a bridge that's also an art museum.
Courtesy Laurian Ghinitoiu

The museum is made up of three distinct galleries with sweeping views over the river and sculpture park.

The double-curve of the museum’s exterior is created via straight aluminum panels arranged, as BIG describes it, “like a stack of books” – each panel is shifted ever so slightly forward.

This oxymoron is at the heart of the Twist’s aesthetic appeal: straight panels creating a curved effect.

Photographs of the building have an eerie, otherworldly feel – this manmade bridge-museum-hybrid seemingly rising inconspicuously out of its natural surroundings.

The unusual curve design catches the attention.
The unusual curve design catches the attention.
Courtesy Laurian Ghinitoiu

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Inside, the vibe is just as notable, a space-age aesthetic heeding inspiration from the natural landscape.

“The Twist has been an extremely complex building to construct, yet the result is simple and striking,” says David Zahle, Parner at BIG. “From an array of straight elements, the museum was constructed in an industrial manner as both a piece of infrastructure and as a building reflecting its natural surroundings.

Inside, the twist effect creates an intriguing visual.
Inside, the twist effect creates an intriguing visual.
Courtesy Laurian Ghinitoiu

Kistefos Sculpture Park is located at the site of a former wood pulp mill. It’s been a staple of the Norwegian cultural scene for the past two decades, spotlighting work by prolific Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama and Icelandic environmentalist Olafur Eliasson, to name just two.

Officially opened as of September 2019, the Twist is a compelling new edition to this Scandinavian art hub.