Reconstructing a harbour bath in Norway

Snøhetta has designed a reconstruction of the harbour bath or Knubben in Arendal, Norway, imagining it as a lively meeting place offering multi-use facilities.

After being commissioned to revitalise the space in 2018, their feasibility study concluded this was impractical as the structure would need extensive modernisation.

Snøhetta’s new structure takes inspiration from the Norwegian coastline’s inlets and skerries, and resembles a block of stone shaped during the Last Glacial Period.

Instead, Snøhetta has designed a new Knubben as an architectural response to the past, “emphasising the becoming of Arendal as an urban destination for both national and international audiences.”

The original harbour bath was built on the 750 square-metre skerry outside the Arendal city centre in 1937.

The reconstruction of the harbour bath Knubben in Arendal, Norway is imagined as a lively meeting place offering multi-use facilities.

Located in Galtesund, between the islands Tromøy and Hisøy, the facility designed by Ketil Ugland boasted a 10-metre diving platform, children’s pool, changing rooms and kiosk, and was frequently used by the Arendal Swim Club.

In 1947 the harbour bath was closed, and while used again in the 1960s as a jazz club, the diving platform was demolished in the 1980s by the Norwegian Armed Forces.

The facility is intended to be a gift to the town for 2024, with an open-air stage and amphitheatre, as well as indoor areas for a restaurant and more intimate concerts.

Snøhetta’s new structure takes inspiration from the Norwegian coastline’s inlets and skerries, and resembles a block of stone shaped during the Last Glacial Period. The layers look like a topographical map of the area, layered to mimic its natural rock formations.

The structure of Knubben will be founded on steel core piles, broadening the expanse and possibilities of the island. It will be built mostly from concrete as it sits in a fragile marine environment and is at the mercy of changeable rough weather conditions, but Snøhetta hopes to also incorporate more eco-friendly technologies.

Snøhetta has designed the new Knubben as an architectural response to the past.

Knubben will be, “a lively meeting place that can be used all year round.” The facility is intended to be revived as a gift to the town for 2024, with an open-air stage and amphitheatre, as well as indoor areas for a restaurant and more intimate concerts.

“As we become increasingly urban, we long for contact with nature,” say Snøhetta.

“Knubben will be a social meeting place that provides a sensation of closeness to the sea, and will serve as a backdrop to a plethora of activities and experiences. It will be a soothing spot in the sun on a hot summer evening, a hub for cultural events, and a place to enjoy a good meal after taking an icy bath on a cold winter’s day.”

In 1947 the harbour bath was closed, and used again in the 1960s as a jazz club,