Expertise
Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter have a high degree of diverse assignments. The projects are geographically spread and take place in a manifold of contexts, from compact urban locations to dramatic and uncultivated landscapes. The portfolio of the office contains commissions with huge contrasts in relation to scale, context, budget and demands of function.
We have experience from smaller residential projects as well as large planning proposals, considerate landscape interventions and complex cultural and educational institutions.
Place & context
A place is not simply an aggregate of physical elements and conditions. It is not an object, however complex, to be viewed as raw material for the architect’s creative will. A place is indivisible; it is unique and has a distinct expressiveness of its own. Therefore architecture must always acknowledge the innate character of every location and make its design a marriage of place and concept.
We believe that architecture must be instructed by the uniqueness of its location in such a way that the building highlights the place and the place rests in the building. This mutual act of accentuation will often clarify the physical situation of a given location: architecture can organize impressions and make a place stand forth. With the uniqueness of every site and context as our point of departure we employ a distinct and limited architectural palette characterized by a strong focus on natural materials and a sense of a location’s individual spatiality. Each project becomes a unique departure when highly individual design emerges from a set of clearly defined and controlled elements. Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter’s work is distinguished by innovative tectonic forms that interpret the spatial continuity between exterior and interior landscapes in new ways.
Sustainability
RRA has a professional network of environmental consultants in order to maintain an extensive collaboration within sustainability issues. Our working methods includes procedures for identification and realization of environmental objectives within each of our projects. The office has acquired considerable expertise in sourcing of sustainable materials and development of environmental solutions. We have worked and are currently working on several innovative projects with high environmental ambitions, such as: Trollstigen National Tourist Route Development of local micro power station, on-site treatment of black- and greywater, detail studies of biodiversity and considerate construction in natural landscapes. Recycling Plant Isi A new facility for recycling, reuse and waste management which is pioneering both nationally and internationally. Romsdal Folk Museum was, when built, the largest single massive timber construction in development in Norway.
Analogue and digital technologies
Our methodology benefits from a symbiosis of analogue and digital technologies throughout the project development. The relationship between the hand-crafted and machine-made provides a creative process where every aspect and detail receives the necessary attention. We believe that the architect must be mindful of the entirety at every stage.
Just as hand-drawn sketches is important for capturing initial ideas and two-dimensional relationships, so is model making a tool for understanding form and three-dimensional concepts. Our dedicated model making room is extensively used to develop our designs and increase understanding among both clients and ourselves.
Digital technologies are an integrated part of the production at Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter, considered an important tool to develop our projects from initial ideas to production-ready documents. We have substantial experience with Computer-aided Design (CAD) to provide increased productivity, added value for clients and contractors, better coordination with consultants, and easier project management. All new projects are developed in Building Modelling Information (BIM) software as a 3D-model with detailed information integrated. This ensures a much better information flow and collaboration between all the involved parts of a project. We are also working with VR (Virtual reality) both to explore the projects in the process and to explain and present projects.
Dialogue-based process
Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter has developed a dialog-based process for project development where the clients and users are very important resources and act as key contributors. We place great importance on maintaining a close dialogue with different user groups as well as other consultants to ensure good and functional solutions with a high degree of usability. It has been a successful working process that results in good working relationship in project groups. We have experience of working with bigger project where we are able to maintain budget and time frame through efficient and close-up project management. We have received high scores in clients’ satisfaction in our projects, some with the project period nearly 10 years.
Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter also has routine of producing a status report for each project phase, a very useful tool to communicate internally in the project group and has dedicated staff members with high graphic skills to produce communication materials to the media such as presentation materials of high quality that we use for various international lectures and publications.