The Art Silo: From grain silo to iconic art museum

The conversion of a 90-year-old grain silo in Kristiansand into a modern art museum demonstrates how repurposing existing buildings can save large amounts of virgin materials and attract international attention as an architectural gem.

Images from before opening of Kunstsilo in Kristiansand, Norway.

After many decades as an important part of the city's identity, and two years after the silo was decommissioned, a decision was made in 2010 to preserve the building. Now known as “The Art Silo”, the original character of the building has been well preserved and today it houses the world’s largest collection of Nordic modernist art with 5500 works.

A particularly bold move in the building transformation was to retain the distinct identity of the silo by cutting the silo pipes 22 meters above the ground to create a spectacular ceiling in the art hall. This creates a unique visual effect where the remaining parts of the silo pipes appear to be hanging in the air – a complex design challenge that was only possible due to the unique interdisciplinary collaboration between Ramboll and Henning Larsen.

Innovative solutions to preserving the building’s identity

Another technically demanding challenge in efforts to preserve the building's integrity and historical value was the risk that the almost 100-year-old concrete in the silo pipes could crack and fall apart when cut. The solution was to use a sliding formwork around the old pipes – the same technique that was used during the original construction. This method was reinforced and anchored in the existing structure, so that the pipes that were left standing after the cutting had sufficient strength.

Ramboll delivered design and project management, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, energy advisory, lighting design, fire protection, and safety and quality assurance for the project, while Henning Larsen provided sound design and landscape architecture services.

International recognition

The silo has already gained international recognition as a unique cultural icon. CNN described it as the “new architecture set to shape the world in 2024”whilst The Guardian included it in their list of “The Best Art and Architecture of 2024”. TIME Magazine added the silo to their rankings of the “World’s 100 Greatest Places” to visit and it was also cited in New York Times’ “52 Places to go in 2025”.

Awards:

Construction prize of the year for the Kristiansand region 2024

Norwegian lighting award 2024: Year’s best product / technical solution

Betongtavlen 2024 (Concrete award)

The art silo in numbers

: 1935
The year that the original grain silo was constructed

: 5,500
Number of artworks on display at the museum
: 100,000
Visitors to the museum in the first three months after opening