Introduction

Rintala Eggertsson Architects was established in 2007 by Finnish architect Sami Rintala and Icelandic architect Dagur Eggertsson and soon after joined by architect and partner Vibeke Jenssen. The office bases its activities on teaching, furniture design, public art projects, architecture and planning. Important feature in Rintala Eggertsson’s practice are their 1:1 building workshops with students and clients.

Occupying the space between architecture and public art, their work has been installed in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the MAXXI Museum in Rome and in the Venice Biennale, and has been published extensively, such as in A+U, Wallpaper, Architectural Review, Blueprint, Domus and The New York Times. Their work has been described as narrative and conceptual. Resulting work is a layered interpretation of the physical, mental and poetic resources of the site. They are currently working on projects in Norway, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, Brazil Laos and China.

Key projects

Kressbad Bus Stop – 2014

Client: Krumbach Municipality

Location: Kressbad, Austria

Dragonfly – 2013

Client: Treehotel

Location: Harads, Sweden

Høse bridge – 2013

Client: Suldal Municipality

Location: Sand, Norway

Hut-to-hut – 2012

Client: Panchabhuta Foundation

Location: Kumta, India

Watchtower – 2011

Client: Seljord Municipality

Location: Seljord, Norway

Arboretum – 2011

Client: KORO (Public Art Norway)

Location: Gjøvik, Norway

Ark Booktower – 2010

Client: Victoria & Albert Museum

Location: London, UK

Cabinet Home – 2010

Client: MAXXI Museum

Location: Rome, Italy

Miilu – 2010

Clients: Norwegian National Museum, Swedish Architecture Museum and Museum of Finnish Architecture

Location: Venice, Italy

Graph – 2009

Client: National Art Museum of China (NAMOC)

Location: Beijing, China

Ordos 100 – 2008 (not executed)

Client: Jiang Yuan Water Engineering Ltd

Location: Ordos, China

Boxhome – 2007

Client: ROM galleri for kunst & arkitektur

Location: Oslo, Norway

Element House – 2006

Client: Bisan Urban Natural Park

Location: Anyang, South Korea

Hotel Kirkenes – 2005

Client: Barents Art Triennale

Location: Kirkenes, Norway

Forest Observatory – 2004

Client: Kirishima Open Air Museum

Location: Kyushu, Japan

Post Industrial Meditation Park – 2003

Client: Echigo Tsumari Art Triennale

Location: Nakasato village, Japan

Floating Sauna – 2002

Client: Bergen Art Academy

Location: Rosendal, Norway

A Place for a Dialogue – 2001

Client: Helsinki Cultural Capital of Europe 2000

Location: Helsinki, Finland

60 Minute Man – 2000

Client: Biennale di Venezia

Location: Venice, Italy

Land(e)scape – 1999

Client: Self initiated

Location: Savonlinna, Finland

Key building workshops

Transformer 0 – Nine students from Oslo Academy for the Arts and The Norwegian Theatre Academy – Scenography School designed and built a small temporary art arena for children in Oslo, 2012.

Norwegian Architecture Festival Arena – Thirty five students from Icelandic Academy for the Arts, Norwegian University of Science and Technology and The Norwegian Theatre Academy – Scenography School designed and built a complete conference arena, café, bar and exhibition spaces in an old industrial hall in Oslo, 2011.

Land H2O – Twenty eight students from the Nuova Accademia di Belle Arte and Politecnico di Milano, gathered in Allai, Sardinia to design and construct three installations by the Allai river in 2011.

Into the Landscape – Sixty Students from Nuova Accademia di Belle Arte, Politecnico di Milano and The Norwegian Theatre Academy – Scenography School designed and built three small structures around Lake Seljord, Norway, 2009.

Safe Haven Library – Fifteen students from Norwegian University of Science and Technology designed and built a two-storey library building for an orphanage in Ban Tha Song Yan, Thailand, 2009.

Floating Sauna- Students from the Bergen Art Academy designed and built a floating sauna in Rosendal, Norway, 2002.

Awards

• 2014 – Mies van der Rohe; Nomination for Høse Bridge
• 2014 – Mies van der Rohe; Nomination for Kressbad Bus Stop
• 2014 – Architizer A+ Award for Seljord Watchtower
• 2014 – Travel + Leisure Award for Høse Bridge
• 2013 – Chicago Athenaeum; International Architecture Awards
• 2013 – Mies van der Rohe Award, Nomination for Seljord Watchtower
• 2013 – Architectuul’s selection of the 5 best architects of the year 2012
• 2012 – WAN 21 for 21 Award, One of 21 guiding lights for the architecture of the 21st century, World Architecture News.
• 2012 – Telemark County Development Prize, for the Toke brygge development program
• 2011 – Sign of honour – Statsbygg for the Mosaikk urban development program.
• 2011 – Region of Sardinia Landscape, Art and Architecture Awards; Extraordinary Landscapes, Allai, Sardinia.
• 2010 – Telemark County Development Prize, for the Mosaikk development programme
• 2009 – ArchDaily Building of the Year, Museums and Libraries Gold International
• 2009 – Forum Aid Prize, Nordic Prize for Architecture, nomination
• 2009 – Global Award for Sustainable Architecture, GA, Paris 2009
• 2009 – Mies van der Rohe Award, Nomination for Boxhome
• 2008 – Bauhaus Award, Bauhaus Dessau, Germany, nomination
• 2007 – Forum Aid Prize, Nordic Prize for Architecture, nomination
• 2007 – Marcus Prize, Award for Emerging Architects, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, nomination
• 20072001 – Borromini Award, Nomination, Italy
• 2001 – World Architecture Award Nomination, GB
• 2001 – Lorenzo il Magnifico Award Firenze Biennale Dell´Arte Contemporanea, Italy
• 2001 – Mies van der Rohe Award, Nomination for Pekkaniska shelter
• 1999 – AR+D – Emerging Architecture, The Architectural Review-magazine Annual Award 1999 (GB)/ 2nd price

Exhbitions

• 2013 AROS museum of modern art, Århus, Denmark – PYR, floating spa, opening 01/06/13 Project Space, Luang Prabang, Laos – selected works
• 2012 School of Architecture of Havana, CUJAE – selected works. Abitare Minimo, MAGA museum, Gallarate, Italy – „Asterisk home“ Urban Play, Køge, Denmark – „PYR“; a floating bath pavilion. Salone del Mobile / Milano Triennale; Take Nord Shape pavilion.
• 2011 Louisiana Museum of Modern Art; „Wish You Were Here“ – an installation for the exhibition Boundaries of Architecture.
• 2010 Biennale di Venezia – Nordic Pavilion; „At Work With“ – residency programme. Gallery Jaroslav Fragner, Prague – selected works. Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Ark – installation. MAXXI museum, Rome; Cabinet Home – installation.
• 2009 NOTCH festival in Beijing – installation; Village. Gwangju Design Biennale – darkroom; an installation. National Art Museum of China, Beijing – GRAPH a housing concept for refugees. Brno House of Arts / Galerii Architektury Brno – selected works Vardøhus festning – A new art-in-residence project and selected works.
• 2007 Galleri Rom for Art+Architecture, Oslo – Box Home, an experimental house.

Selected publications

Arkkitehti, Taide, Focus, Form Function Finland, Mitä Missä Milloin 2001, PTAH, Puu – Wood, Frame News, Tekniikan Maailma Finland/ Wallpaper, Architectural Review, World Architecture, Contemporary, ZOO, Creativebase, Blueprint, Icon Magazine, Architects’ Journal, Art and Architecture, Key Contemporary Buildings, Art and Architecture-a place between UK/ Octogon Hungary/ Abitare, Corriere della Sera , Domus, La Stampa, Vogue, Citta: Less Aesthetics More Ethics catalogue, Venice Biennale 2000, La Repubblica, MCM, ARCH´IT, La Nazione, La Biennale Dell´Arte Contemporanea Di Firenze 2001 catalogue, Il Corriere Di Firenze, Gazzetta del Sud, Corriere Adriatico, Il Giornale Dell´Arte, Club 3, Firenze Spettacolo, I Viaggi, Il Giornale Della Toscana, Il Tirreno, Leggo, GenteViaggi Italy/ New York Times, Manual, En Ruta -catalogue of PR02, El Vocero (Puerto Rico), El Nuevo Dia (Puerto Rico), Primera Hora (Puerto Rico), Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), Dwell USA/ Topos, AIT Germany/ Oris Magazine; Covjek i prostor Croatia/ Arkitektur; Forum AID Sweden/Techniques & Architecture, Parpaigns, L´Architecture D´Anjourd´hui France/ Bergen Tidene, VG, Nordlys, Dagblad, Aftenposten Norway/ La Septima Bienal De La Habana -catalogue Cuba/ A+U, Shinkenchi-ku, Spatial Lounge, PEN, Herald Tribune, Aida, New Trends of Architecture in Europe and Japan 2001 catalogue, MEMO, Mega Wawe – Yokohama Triennial of Contemporary Art 2001 catalogue, Asashi Shimbun, The Japan Times, Tokachi Mainichi, AXIS, DEMETER catalogue, Studio Voice, Libre, Suomi, Scandinavian Life & Design, Harper´s BAZAAR, Random, Men´s Ex, Arcas, Esquire, Weekly Yomiuri, Russell Japan/ d + a Singapore/ Taipei Times, Urban Flashes Taiwan/ Eesti Express, Areen Estonia/ Arquitettura Macau/ Artfocus Magazine, Le Devoir, Vie Des Arts Canada/ Architektura Poland/ Loft, Artscapes – art as an approach to contemporary landscapes/ GG Barcelona Spain/ Space South Korea Monitor, Shtab Kvartira, GE Russia Architekt Czech Republic/ Bird’s Eye View Thailand/ Enlace Arquitectura & Diseno/ Mexico