We come to sense the silence, the forest, the scent, the mountain, and the view. To feel the rhythm of the landscape and find tranquility — to experience what it means to simply be. Lysefjorden is a unique place, known for its ability to evoke these deeply human emotions and experiences.

The colossal natural forces of the Lysefjord offer a window into the Earth’s ongoing tectonic movements, with fault lines and mountain formations revealing millions of years of shifts in the Earth’s crust. The new visitor centre is not meant to dominate its surroundings, but to merge with them — allowing the landscape to speak for itself. The tectonic forces, human vulnerability, and the need for shelter and social gathering lie at the core of the centre’s design.

Like tectonic plates, the new visitor centre emerges from the ground, situated at the intersection of two surfaces where it finds shelter from the harsh, shifting weather. Clad in light Norwegian slate, the building carries the story of Lysefjorden’s bright granite, while also withstanding the extreme climate. A structure of wooden columns lifts the building from the ground and frames the view towards the fjord. In this way, the visitor centre becomes part of the movement towards the water — an extension of the terrain stretching from the earth to the fjord, and thus a natural part of the journey that draws people to this place. With an architectural expression inspired by the timeless and iconic features of the landscape, the new visitor centre is not only destined to be an essential part of every future visit to Preikestolen — it becomes a destination in its own right.