Knarvik Church is a parish community church located in the village of Knarvik, Lindås Municipality, in the county of Hordaland, which is located in the southwest part of the Kingdom of Norway.
As an important symbol of Christianity for the local community, the Karvik Church holds an important position as cultural provider and conveyor at holidays, but also in everyday life. Designed by Reiulf Ramstad Arkitektar AS, it has served the community since 2014. This interestingly compact building is split into two floors on a rectangular plan, which separates the sacred spaces above from the cultural and administrative functions below.
There is an internal so-called “church square” that connects the two levels with an atrium stair into a continuous space, and may be joined or separated from the sanctuary with sliding glass walls to accommodate more than 500 people. The important key material for the construction is wood, which is the regular material used to build not just churches throughout Norway, but also houses.
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The church is carefully adapted to the terrain and with dimensions to respect and blend harmoniously into the landscape’s vegetation, topography, and spatial quality. In contrast, the outdoor area has been developed around the place and the future central square in Knarvik. During the day, the church is filled through the lancet-reminiscent tall and narrow windows with natural daylight; however, at night, the warm glow of the interior reveals the activities of its religious and cultural events.
Becoming more important in shaping the local population, especially for a safe upbringing for children and youth, Knarvik Community Church will continue to facilitate art, music, and cultural development through which spatial solutions and materialism, the religion and culture shall be united into a whole; a truly amazing architectural piece of the new century.
