News
In May we assembled the office’s first “grindanaust”, a traditional Norwegian building typology. A contemporary reinterpretation of traditional wood works, our design is informed by CNC-elements construction technique. Joints and angles are milled with precision, allowing for an intuitive, step-by-step assemblage which is mostly achieved by manual labour, on site in Øygarden, near Bergen. So, while the architecture emerges of machine manufacturing, its production is ultimately the result of human work – as in the old days, when owning a boat was vital for Norwegian coast dwellers. A central means of transportation (one had to row to church, to the fishing nets and nearby trading posts), boats historically demanded robust infrastructure: the grindanaust, a specific type of boathouse, is the common type in the West. In addition to their shielding function, boathouses were also workplaces, gathering spots, and status signifiers.
Building a grindanaust characteristically implies using less wood than building a log cabin; in past times, the compact grindanaust was easy to disassemble and move, and was often sold in bulk. The modern use of CNC-milled elements follows this culture of disassembly and motion. As a flexible, reusable system, it answers both economic and environmental motivations that are emphasised at 3RW, while sacrificing nothing of scale and architectural elegance.






