This article was taken from the August 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.
The Tverrfjellhytta wild reindeer pavilion in Norway flips the human-animal interaction dynamic on its head. "It's the opposite of a zoo," says Kjetil Thorsen, founding partner of Norwegian architects Snøhetta. "The animals walk freely -- it's the people who are in a cage." The firm created the pavilion for visitors to view wild reindeer and musk oxen without disturbing the Dovrefjell National Park's ecosystem.
This constraint, plus the freezing conditions and isolated location, created a challenge. So Snøhetta used 3D-design software and a computer numerical control (CNC) milling machine to build a scale prototype of its most complex part, the undulating wooden core (above). Shipbuilder Djupevaag, used a larger CNC machine to make the full-sized element.
Snøhetta worked with Djupevaag's CNC before, when it carved out the balconies of the Oslo Opera House; here, explains Thorsen, the machine's speed and accuracy was essential to complete the project before the weather stopped work. "It was the only way we could make a sculptural piece out of wood within the time frame," he says.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
