Some images from the SYNERGI exhibition setup, at Gamle Munch Museum last week…
Setting up the Synergi exhibition
Vernissage of the Synergi exhibition
The new Synergi exhibition organised by Kroloftet opens at the Gamle Munch Museum on Friday 5th September. I have contributed two collaborative pieces to the exhibition, which will be on display until 21st September.
I have been working over the summer on this project, together with creative people at the Kroloftet collective, where our Norwegian office has its office and workshops.
Based on the concept of synergy, our exhibition will display 11 projects, each developed as a synergetic collaborations between creatives from different disciplines at Kroloftet, spanning across ceramics, architecture, poetry, photography, sound art, biology, woodworking, illustration, history, micro-edition and crystallography!
We kickstarted this concept four months ago with a fun “creative speed-dating” event: meet each person at Kroloftet for a 3-minute chat (with timer!) and explore new creative possibilities for cross-disciplinary art!
Nascence
Memory table to Frithjof Reppen
I will present two collaborative pieces: Nascence — a tactile sound installation in collaboration with ceramic artist Amanda Krantz — and Memory Table — a commemorative engraved wooden table celebrating architecture and the Free Press, in collaboration with artist Carlos Martin Román.
The vernissage is on Friday 5th September 2025 at 17:00 at the Gamle Munch Museum (former Munch Museum) in Oslo. The event and exhibition are free and open to all.
Come and join us!
Oslo study trip
The UK office of 2hD took a short trip to Oslo this month to study some of the city’s new building projects as fresh inspiration for our own practice. We teamed up with Simon of Simon Middlecote Architects — a long term collaborator, both in teaching at NTU and more recently on the Care Leavers’ Accommodation project (more on this to follow).
Some highlights included the Oslo Public Library by Atelier Oslo and Lundhagem Arkitekter. This huge building somehow feels inviting and warm, and people really seem to feel they belong there. The top-lit atrium connects spaces into a seamless experience without dominating the small scale and intimate areas that surround it. Facilities that we couldn’t dream of having in a public library in Nottingham, such as 3D printers and makers’ spaces with sewing machines and large format printers support locals to be creative. The books meanwhile are everywhere — within touch as you journey around the building but the shelving never dominates.
The overall impression is that you are likely to find interesting books by chance, whilst a digital navigation system guides you when you are looking for something in particular.
On Simon’s suggestion, we took a ferry across the harbour to visit the Norsk Folkemuseum and its collection of timber historic buildings salvaged from around the country. It was a great counterpoint to the fast-paced development around the harbour. Beautifully crafted and functional farmsteads, churches and civic buildings gave a sense of a more peaceful time, but also a reminder of the rapid development the country has undergone since the exploitation of its oil resources began.
Oslo is a unique mix of fjord-side port, with thriving, dynamic urban communities and peaceful suburbs enveloped by well-used and highly valued areas of natural environment.
Whilst not without its problems, there is a lot we can learn from the city about making workable, humane and happy urban places.
New office and wood workshop at Kroloftet
We are delighted to have joined the dynamic and eclectic work collective at Kroloftet, in Oslo.
In addition to a shared workspace, we now also have access to a fully equipped wood workshop, including a large-scale CNC router, to fabricate custom-made furniture and fittings for your next project!
We are looking forward to exciting collaborations with the many skilled crafts(wo)men at Kroloftet, whose disciplines include (among many others) metalwork, wood joinery, upholstery, boat building, illustration, film direction, ceramics and puppet making!
Hands-on with traditional arch masonry
A dry stone arch built during the course, under testing!
While working on the restoration of century-old stables in central Oslo, I was invited to take part in a practical workshop on traditional arch masonry. The course was organised by the Norwegian Heritage Association (Fortidsminneforeningen) for mastermasons, handworkers and architects who are involved in the restoration of old masonry buildings in Norway.
We explored the complete process of building traditional stone arches, using both dry stone techniques and traditional brick and lime mortar masonry, Over five intensive days, we built from scratch five different types of arches, starting with the design and fabrication of the formworks, the preparation and mixing of traditional lime mortar, the shaping of natural stones and, finally, the erection of the arches themselves.
This was a fantastic opportunity to learn new practical skills to develop our continued interest in historical buildings, as well as to network with talented craftsmen from all over Norway, for future collaborations.
You can admire the completed arches in Oslo’s Medieval park (Middelalderparken), next to the ruins of St Mary’s Church.
Ever dreamt of giving a new life to an old building?
Our Norwegian branch moves to a new office
Our Norwegian branch has just moved to a new work space, just next to the Oslo School of Architecture and design (AHO).
The new shared work space of our Oslo office (Photo: © Alliance Architecture Studio)
We are delighted to share this new office with three exciting architecture practices:
Here are our new contact details:
2hD Architecture Workshop
Akersbakken 12
0172 Oslo
Norway
Symétriades live performances this weekend!
I am at the Studio National des Arts Contemporains (a.k.a. Le Fresnoy) for the final rehearsals of the Symétriades art performance, for which we developed the scenography and live video projections.
Double bass player Nicolas Crosse will be interpreting Yann Robin’s Symétriades piece for solo double bass and electronics, spatialised over a complex electronic post-processing system and overlaid with the live video projections we have created with visual artist Alain Fleischer.
The performance will be shown as part of a contemporary music festival within Panorama 20, the yearly exhibition showcasing the art projects developed at the Studio over the last year.
There will be four public presentations of the performance over the weekend:
Friday 5 October 2018 at 20:00 and 22:15
Sunday 7 October 2018 at 15:00 and 17:00
Come and join us for a mighty musical and visual experience!
2hD Director Chris Heuvel appointed RIBA Fellow
Our director Chris Heuvel is one of only 15 architects to be awarded Royal Institute of British Architects Fellow status in the 2018 list. The RIBA says of the award that "Fellow Membership gives us the opportunity to recognise our inspirational Chartered Members, the sometimes unsung heroes of the profession, who have made a real contribution to architecture, and the community."
Chris' full citation reads as follows:
"Chris is a Director at 2hD Architecture Workshop and a lecturer at Nottingham Trent University (NTU), where he delivers the professional practice elements of both the undergraduate and postgraduate architectural programmes, in addition to acting as Professional Studies Advisor for students in practice. He also runs the Design Studio module followed by first year undergraduates.
Chris champions architectural education as an integral aspect of professional practice, and is currently undertaking a major research project on behalf of NTU into how practitioners’ engagement with their local communities can be compatible with their business development objectives. All his teaching is substantially informed by a lifetime of active involvement in community engagement projects – previously in Norfolk and now in Nottingham, where (in conjunction with 2hD Ltd) he is currently helping a local group develop a business plan for the revival of their recently closed community centre."
Congratulations Chris, the recognition is thoroughly well deserved!
Ooo-Ya-Tsu at digital art festival Les Pixels
L'Association Culturelle Argentine (ASCA) has invited us to present our art performance Ooo-Ya-Tsu as part of the 8th edition of their digital art festival Les Pixels, on Thursday 24th November 2016, in Beauvais (France).
In the days preceding the performance, we will be also running workshops with local schools and associations, creating a large hand-painted and digital fresco for the festival.
After La Gare Numérique and La Malterie, this will be the third public presentation of our live performance Ooo-Ya-Tsu, an art collaboration with art collective Qubo Gas and musician Olivier Durteste..
Tom's running in aid of local charity School for Parents
I'm running my first half marathon on September 25th to support a great local charity.
All too often, parents of disabled children don’t know where to turn – they may feel isolated, powerless or depressed. School for Parents is based in 2hD's local neighbourhood of Sneinton in Nottingham. Most of their work involves children with motor learning difficulties or motor development delay. They encourage these children to develop basic motor, sensory and self help skills such as sitting, standing, touching, listening, looking, eating and playing.
A key part of their work is to help parents understand and accept their child’s disability and teach them how to help their child. Staff give parents and siblings the emotional support they need to help them cope, as well as offering practical advice and information.
And I think that's awesome.
If you'd like to help me support this wonderful cause, please visit my Justgiving page and consider making a donation. Thank you!
Update 01/12/16: I completed the run in just under 1 hour 55 minutes, and thanks to my generous sponsors raised £461.43 for the School for Parents! A great experience but, by far, the hardest physical challenge of my life.
Chris interviews Turner Prize winner Assemble
In conjunction with my research into how architects can develop their practice through engagement with members of a community, I will be hosting a talk by Lewis Jones of the 2015 Turner Prize winning collective Assemble.
2hD director Chris Heuvel (left) with the speaker from Assemble, Lewis Jones (right)
My interview will be conducted in public as part of the Norfolk Contemporary Art Society's programme in The Curve Auditorium, Norwich Forum on Wednesday 6th July 2016 at 7:30pm.
For more information, see the NCAS website.
Ooo-Ya-Tsu performance at La Malterie
Some photos from our latest public performance of Ooo-Ya-Tsu, at La Malterie.
Musician Olivier Durteste (left) composing a live soundscape, as I (right) recompose the digital collage projected on the paper canvas in front of him.
Yves Sabourin, during the public discussion after our live performance
Special thanks to our guest Yves Sabourin — art curator for the French Ministry of Culture and former master-weaver — for his inspiring speech after our performance, comparing our work in Ooo-Ya-Tsu with the luxuriant garden motives of traditional Persian tapestries...
2hD at the downhill Spark world championships
To celebrate 5 years of our Norwegian office, 2hD Architecture Workshop entered the VM Spark Utfor 2016, the Downhill Kick-sled World Championships, in Hurdal, Norway.
Hauling our finely tuned Spark up the mountain to the start line. Sun, snow and men dressed as wizards.
With Thibaut's experience of downhill kick-sled and Tom's bulk, we powered our way to a not-too-discreditable 45th position (out of more than 110 teams in our league). Our 10 minute practice in the dark the previous evening really paying off there...
The event was sociable and well organised, a great balance of fun and competition, technical mountain gear and fancy dress. Highly recommended if you're in the area of Hurdal, Norway in February, and can get hold of a Spark. Training optional. Check out the event website for more information.
Ready for our performance
One hour before our second public performance of Ooo-Ya-Tsu, as viewed from DDDxie's perspective...
Photo by DDDxie
Update 16/02/16: we posted some photos of the performance...
Artist residency at La Malterie
I am spending the week at La Malterie for an artist residency, to develop our art performance Ooo-Ya-Tsu and prepare for our next public presentation, on Thursday.
Together with collaborating artists Qubo Gas, we are dwelling a bit more on the subtle interactions between the physical drawings and the animated video projection on the watercolour paper...
Come and see the live Ooo-Ya-Tsu performance on Thursday!
Update 16/02/16: we posted some photos of the performance...
