Rindal Star Cube is a wooden stargazing structure located in Rindal. It was built in the spring of 2015 Møre og Romsdal, Norway, by 17 architecture students from the NTNU studying the Timber Constructions course. Students were both the designers and the builders of the project, giving them 1:1 experience with the transition between designing and a completing a realized structure.
The stargazing cube is the third and newest addition to student projects of this kind that makes up a part of Rindal’s cultural path. The cultural path is a 5km circuit that is designed to encourage people of all ages to get outdoors and experience the nature and cultural activities that Rindal has to offer. The Star Cube is meant for both educational and recreational purposes and is a place where people can enjoy looking at the sky and learning about the infinite space that exists above us.
BUILDING PROCESS
The building was completed in two weeks. Most of the elements were prefabricated in the University’s workshop, while everything was assembled on site. First the tilted glulam columns of the core were raised, followed by the main structure walls and finally the platforms were set in place between. Considering all the different angles of the project, each element had to be made very precisely in order to fit into the structure.
The students made everything themselves, from the steel connections and foundations to the roofing. Star Cube is clad with burnt shingles made from spruce. The burning process was inspired by the Japanese technique called Shou Sugi Ban, which protects the wood in addition to giving it a unique finish. Every shingle is burnt on both sides in order to create a stark contrast between the black cladding and the structural elements made of pinewood and glulam.
PUBLICITY
The project received a lot of attention during the building process thanks to a blog updating the progress each day with pictures and videos. During the final days the blog received more than 13 000 views per day from all around the world. https://rindalstarcube.wordpress.com
Rindal Star Cube is a 5m3 black cube that appears closed from the outside but open and playful on the inside. The experience inside the cube is based on a journey that takes people up towards the
stars by climbing up platforms. The final destination is a net where people can comfortably enjoy stargazing or looking at the sky. Inside the core of the building there is an intimate fireplace made for social gatherings or sleepovers.
FACTS
LOCATION:
Rindal, Norway
COMPLETED:
May, 2015
SUPERVISORS:
Jan Helge Siem
Filippo Frontini
Bjørn Otto Braaten
Arnstein Olav Gilberg
COST:
300 000 NOK (2015)
STUDENTS:
Emily-Claire Nordang, Sina Wagner, Lea Wenzel, Lola Lagier, Marie-Louise Kittel, Agustin Ruvira, Anna Marco, Christoffer Hagen, Anette Helstad, Aino Telama, Erling Søyland, Kristine Frøshaug, Bendik Jarmund Molnes, Tiphaine Laurent, Simon Schwaiger, Lara Castill