It all started in 1994, as a trial project aiming to improve the driving experience in Norway, and attract more tourists. The idea: offering motorists an alternative to the main roads, and stunning architecture along the way. A special council was set up, a team of international architects put together, and before you knew it unusual, striking constructions were beginning to pop up at every bend along Norwegian roads.
This being Norway, the focus has all along been on quality, and many of the 200 or so buildings and structures (most of them information centres, rest areas or observation platforms) have already won awards in their field. The jaw-dropping Stegastein viewpoint at Aurlandsvegen, a wood and glass platform jutting out 650m high over the green waters of the Aurlandsfjord, might be the most photographed, but there are many other equally interesting structures.
This visionary project, which was the brainchild of the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, will have been 20 years in the making when completed in 2015. It focuses on 18 roads covering 1,850km nationwide. It’s financed for the most part by the Norwegian government, and the final bill is expected to come in at around 2.3 milliard crowns. A big, but clever investment that is already giving a real boost to Norwegian architecture.
Read more about the project, and see some great pix here (article in Norwegian only) http://www.dn.no/d2/arkitektur/article1695413.ece