One of the Norwegian tourist attractions, an hour’s drive from Oslo, is the Kistefos Sculpture Park, which houses an industrial museum, art galleries and a sculpture park. The Kistefos is cut by the Randselva River, which separates a flatter part from a more hilly part. Inspired by the conformation of the territory and the river, the architecture studio BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group has designed The Twist, a closed structure that acts as both an art gallery and a bridge. 

The Twist, defined by Bjarke Ingels himself as an “inhabitable bridge“, can be reached on foot through the woods and was created as a natural extension and completion of the sculpture park. 

The real challenge that the architects had to face was to connect two banks of different heights with a closed structure. 

The obstacle was faced by literally twisting the bridge in the middle over itself by 90°. In this way, if the façade on one side measures 16 meters wide and 9 meters high, the façade on the other side will measure 9 meters wide and 16 meters high. 

In addition, the architects of BIG have thought of creating one of the 4 walls entirely of glass that, thanks to the rotation of the building, on the right bank, forms the side window overlooking the river, while on the left bank becomes a skylight. In this way, inside, it is as if three different rooms were formed, one illuminated only half a day, one always illuminated and one, the central one, illuminated with artificial light. 

Walking along The Twist will be like taking a walk in a world that bends over itself, constantly changing shape.