Dezeen Magazine

Timelapse movie tours Snøhetta's Reindeer Observation Pavilion in Norway

This movie by videographer Alejandro Villanueva explores the undulating wooden form of the Snøhetta-designed Reindeer Observation Pavilion and its setting in Norway's Dovre Mountains.

Reindeer Observation Pavilion by Snohetta movie

Completed in late 2011, the pavilion is a glass-fronted steel box. But inside, its features a rippled timber core constructed by Norwegian shipbuilders to match the surrounding topography.

Visitors to the pavilion can sit on the wooden form, where they are warmed by a suspended furnace.

Reindeer Observation Pavilion by Snohetta movie

Villanueva spent five days shooting the pavilion, which serves as an education centre for the Wild Reindeer Foundation. He described the experience as "intense, mystical, frustrating and sometimes scary".

"The place has such a strength that wants to pull you in and become part of the landscape, almost magical I would say," he explained. "The serenity and isolation provided by such a warm enclosure seems to invite you to dig into yourself and stay there for hours, contemplating the vastness that unfolds right in front of you."

Reindeer Observation Pavilion by Snohetta movie

His film, titled Snøhetta Viewpoint 4K, shows the approach route. It then explores both the inside and outside of the structure, using a time-lapse technique to show how it catches the light at different times of the day.

The completed movie consists of over 10,000 frames.

"It was frustrating at times because we know how unpredictable mountain weather can be," said the photographer. "So many times I had to repeat a sequence because the weather changed for worst, but yet again, the gods seemed to give me a chance and everything turned out to be beyond my expectations."

Reindeer Observation Pavilion by Snohetta movie

Snøhetta has offices in both Oslo and New York. While its American projects are bigger in profile – ranging from the SFMOMA extension to the National September 11 Memorial Museum – the studio has a number of acclaimed projects in Norway.

Other examples include the Oslo Opera House and the Petter Dass Museum.