Snøhetta is one of the two shortlisted teams participating in Bane NOR’s design competition. The studio proposes a transformative development on a riverside site just north of the newly renewed Drammen Station and its striking new bridge.
Snøhetta steps into the development of the riverfront with a vision to bring the river back to the heart of the city. Positioned where rail, water, and city life intersect, the project reimagines this once-infrastructural zone as a welcoming urban landscape shaped by movement, community, and everyday public life.
Riverfront Context
The architect’s design proposal reimagines Drammen by restoring the river to its rightful place at the heart of the city. The Drammen River once flowed through soft banks, islands, and canals before industrialization hardened its edges and pulled it away from everyday life.
By reintroducing an urban landscape with river islands and accessible landscapes, the design helps embrace the river’s natural power by enhancing biodiversity while giving residents new spaces to gather and reconnect with water as a part of the city.
Snøhetta, together with Asplan Viak and Bollinger & Grohmann, re-envisions Drammen’s riverfront as a living urban landscape where land and water reconnect. Spread across 17,700 square meters along the river’s edge, the project reshapes the site into a welcoming, vibrant public space that weaves islands, open-air spaces, and softened riverbanks into the city fabric. A continuous layer of greenery transforms the edge into a vibrant civic space, expanding green space and restoring biodiversity while inviting people back to the river.
The design primarily focuses on creating the central areas along the river to be integrated with spaces that benefit the people within the context and locality, from social gathering spaces and activity to natural contact with the river. New outdoor spaces are introduced at the river’s edge with potential for bathing facilities, saunas, water play, water sports rentals, training spaces, an amphitheater, and an outdoor stage, creating vibrant and accessible spaces for the public.
Envisioned as a welcoming civic space, the project unfolds as a warm, public destination shaped by openness and spontaneity. Designed as an urban architectural landmark that feels like home, which is accessible to every individual and designed for all age groups, from young families to adults and seniors. The urban landscape also integrates sustainable practices, from durable materials to green roofs and permeable landscapes, resulting in a nurturing, lively, human-centered urban experience.
Skamarken is envisioned as a new architectural landmark for Drammen, blending community-driven design with thoughtful architecture. Rooted in sustainable thinking, the project reuses materials from existing structures; brick becomes flooring, old windows are transformed, and biochar enriches the rooftop landscape, giving the building a layered sense of renewal. Curved timber façades in deep red recall the area’s industrial past, while the river-facing elevation subtly reflects changing weather and seasons, allowing the architecture to feel alive and deeply connected to its natural surroundings.
Skamarken—Urban Development of Drammen Project Details
Project name: Skamarken – Urban development of Drammen Riverfront
Location: Drammen, Norway
Architect: Snohetta
Year: Conceptual (Proposal)
Photography: Snohetta / Atchain
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